August Borsig

Who was August Borsig?

Johann Friedrich August Borsig was a German businessman who founded the Borsig-Werke factory.

Borsig was born in Breslau, the son of cuirassier and carpenter foreman Johann George Borsig. After learning his father's trade, he first attended the Königliche Provinzial-Kunst- und Bauschule, then until fall of 1825 the Königliche Gewerbe-Institut. He received his practical training in engine construction at the Neue Berliner Eisengießerei of F. A. Egells, where one of his first tasks was the assembly of a steam engine in Waldenburg, Silesia. After the successful completion of this task, Borsig was made factory manager for eight years. In 1828, he married Louise Pahl; they had one son, Albert.