Biography

He was born on September 23, 1872, in Ecséd. Following the death of his parents, he grew up as an orphan in Gyöngyös from 1873, where he worked as a pharmacy intern starting in 1890. His spouse was Nina Winkler, whom he married on April 15, 1902, in Szeged. During World War II, both he and his wife were sheltered by Raoul Wallenberg, along with over a thousand other Jews. In December, Gedeon Richter was murdered by the Arrow Cross, shot into the Danube along with others.

Career

In 1895, he obtained a pharmacy degree with distinction from the University of Budapest. Two years later, he traveled abroad to study pharmaceutical manufacturing methods at several European pharmacies. In 1901, he purchased a pharmacy called "Sashoz" at the corner of Üllői Road and Márton Street in Budapest, where he produced organotherapeutic medicines. In 1907, he built Hungary's first pharmaceutical factory at 63 Cserkesz Street in Kőbánya. The factory's first major success was Kalmopyrin, patented in 1912, while the disinfectant tablet Hyperol played a significant role during World War I. By the outbreak of the "Great War," he already held 24 pharmaceutical patents. By the early years of World War II, the factory had established a representative network spanning five continents and ten subsidiaries, with consignment warehouses set up in 34 countries.