William Siemens was one of the founding personalities of Siemens as a company. Born in Germany
he emigrated to England where he earned a multitude of honors and respect. He led the Siemens
business in England in addition to his activities as an independent engineer and entrepreneur.
Among other areas he worked on the global telegraphy system and metallurgical innovations as
well as issues related to energy savings and protecting the environment. His name is associated
with the Siemens-Martin process the world's most important process for steel production for an
entire century. With this biography Wolfgang König brings to life an era in which
industrialization came of age and globalization began to change the face of the world. William
Siemens and his brothers Werner and Carl formed a league of siblings that created the global
company Siemens. William was in particular responsible for building up the English business.
He was instrumental in the company's commitment to transoceanic telegraphy which was a major
contributor to the globalization of the 19th century. Among the Siemens brothers he stood out
as an exception on many fronts: He was not an electrical engineer but rather a trained
mechanical engineer he emigrated from Germany and became an English citizen and in addition
to his responsibilities within Siemens he was also an independent inventor and entrepreneur.
The biography by Wolfgang König paints a fascinating picture of a successful entrepreneur
inventor and engineer who was at home in multiple disciplines as well as in two distinct
national cultures. With this work König also contributes to a cultural comparison between the
two industrialized nations of Germany and England.
