Friedrich Bayer

Friedrich Bayer (1825-1880) was a dye salesman who partnered with master dyer Johann Friedrich Weskott to establish Farbenfabriken vorm. Friedr. Bayer & Comp. in Barmen, Germany, on August 1, 1863. Bayer brought commercial expertise and market knowledge to the partnership, while Weskott contributed technical dyeing skills. The company initially produced synthetic fuchsine and aniline dyes, capitalizing on the emerging coal-tar chemistry revolution. After Friedrich Bayer's death in 1880, his son Friedrich Bayer Jr. (1851-1920), a chemist who joined the company in 1873, became the driving force behind its scientific expansion and diversification into pharmaceuticals and agricultural chemicals.

Friedrich Bayer (1825-1880) was the co-founder of Bayer AG, establishing the company in 1863 as a dyestuffs manufacturer in Barmen, Germany. A dye salesman by trade, Bayer recognized the commercial potential of synthetic aniline dyes that were replacing natural dyes in the textile industry. He partnered with Johann Friedrich Weskott, a master dyer, to create Farbenfabriken vorm. Friedr. Bayer & Comp., with Bayer handling commercial operations and Weskott managing production. The company's early products included fuchsine and aniline dyes. After Friedrich Bayer's death in 1880, the company was converted into a joint-stock corporation, and his son Friedrich Bayer Jr. (1851-1920), a chemist, joined and led the company's expansion into pharmaceuticals, culminating in the 1899 launch of Aspirin.