Ignaz Schwinn

Ignaz Schwinn (1860–1948) was a designer, a founder, and the eventual sole owner of the Schwinn Bicycle Company.

He was born in the town of Hardheim, Germany, in 1860. In his early years, he completed a mechanical apprenticeship, then he became an itinerant bicycle repairman.[1] Schwinn reportedly had a dispute with an early partner in Germany over brake designs and sought his fortune abroad.[2] He arrived in Chicago in 1891 and, by 1895 had teamed with German immigrant Adolph Arnold to found Arnold, Schwinn, and Company.[3] In 1908, Schwinn bought Arnold's interest, becoming sole owner.[1] Ignaz Schwinn maintained the original company name and ran operations through World War II. After this his son Frank succeeded him, the name was changed to the Schwinn Bicycle Company, and the corporation grew to have a nationwide market.[4] Ignaz Schwinn died in 1948 of a stroke.[5]

References
  1. L Lee (1999) The Name's Familiar, Pelican Publishing Company.
  2. Richard Schwinn sourced from A Look Back: Who was Ignaz Schwinn? Archived 2017-11-07 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. D Kindersley (2016) Bicycle: The Definitive Visual history, Penguin Random House.
  4. F Andrews (1996) It's a Schwinn!, The New York Times, December 1.
  5. L Dzierzak (2002) Schwinn, MVP Books.


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