József Hiller

József Hiller

József Hiller was born on February 25, 1885 in Lučki, which belongs to the Liptov County. He studied law and later worked as a lawyer. In 1907 he worked as a trainee under Dr. Ármin Tetétlen, a lawyer. It was at this time that he was introduced to bauxite ore, which was originally thought to be iron.

At the beginning of the First World War, Hiller realised that the importance of bauxite had increased, so he took steps to increase the production of bauxite in Hungary. In the autumn of 1914, Count Károly Kornis gave Hiller the annual income from his house on Vas Street in Budapest (60-80,000 crowns) in order to acquire part of the shares in the Jádvölgy and Vaskoh Aluminium Mining Company. Since Hiller had also applied for 'closed exploration' in the name of Count Károly Kornis, which gave them a kind of trademark patent for exploring bauxite deposits, they formed a company called Count Károly Kornis Bauxit. By 1915, the company was able to extract 59,000 tonnes of bauxite from its mines in Bihar County.

After the successful research, the group decided to establish the Aluminium Ore Mining and Industry Joint Stock Company, based in Budapest. Hiller became the head of the company, which was established on 29 January 1917. The establishment of the first Hungarian aluminium factory in Transylvania, planned for the end of the 1910s, could not be realised due to the defeat in the war and the Trianon peace treaty.

After the war, all the bauxite mines came under Romanian, Serbian and Italian control. At the same time, in order to redirect at least part of the production from the foreign mines back to Hungary, the bankhaus Blankart & Die Kommandit A.-G. (Zurich) and the Aluminium Ore Mining and Industry Joint Stock Company were founded jointly by the general director József Hiller and the banking company Bankhaus Blankart & Die Kommandit A.-G. (Zurich) in 1923 in Zurich under the name Bauxit Trust A.-G.

At the same time, efforts were also being made to exploit domestic bauxite production. With the support of the Hungarian General Credit Bank, Hiller acquired the closed prospecting rights for Gánti and Csákvár from the mining engineer Jenő Balás. Technical assistance was provided by Lajos Bartha and Andor Kutas.

Through his merits and activities in the bauxite industry, he has also been the CEO of Bauxite Industry Joint Stock Company and Victoria Chemical Works Joint Stock Company, and Chairman of Tapolca Mining Joint Stock Company.

Despite the provisions of the Jewish laws, he remained in his post and trusted in his integrity, partly in return for favourable economic moves towards Germany.On 14/15 April 1944, however, he was taken away by the Gestapo and died in the Mauthausen concentration camp.

 

Sources

Ágnes Kenyeres (editor-in-chief): Hungarian Biographical Dictionary. Hungarian Hungarian Heritage. Budapest, 1967. 724.

Press material 1900-1944/1945.

Lajos Szűcs:The History of the Magyaróvár Alumina and Artificial Alumina Factory - Plant History Notes 9. Mosonmagyaróvár, 1974. 143-144.

Lajos Szűcs:The History of the Magyaróvár Timföld and Artificial Earth Factory 1934-1984 Mosonmagyaróvár, 1984. 233-234.

István Tóth: The life and work of Dr. József Hiller (1885-1945), the founder of Aluérc Ltd. Mining and Metallurgy Journal - Metallurgy, 1997. 130(5-6), 185-190.

Born: 25 February 1885.

Place of birth: Lucski (Liptov)

Time of death: 1944/1945.

Place of death: Mauthausen (Germany)

Occupation: lawyer, CEO of a public limited company

Parents:

Spouses:

Children:

Author: Róbert Szabó

Born: 25 February 1885.

Place of birth: Lucski (Liptov)

Time of death: 1944/1945.

Place of death: Mauthausen (Germany)

Occupation: lawyer, CEO of a public limited company

Parents:

Spouses:

Children:

Author: Róbert Szabó

József Hiller

József Hiller was born on February 25, 1885 in Lučki, which belongs to the Liptov County. He studied law and later worked as a lawyer. In 1907 he worked as a trainee under Dr. Ármin Tetétlen, a lawyer. It was at this time that he was introduced to bauxite ore, which was originally thought to be iron.

At the beginning of the First World War, Hiller realised that the importance of bauxite had increased, so he took steps to increase the production of bauxite in Hungary. In the autumn of 1914, Count Károly Kornis gave Hiller the annual income from his house on Vas Street in Budapest (60-80,000 crowns) in order to acquire part of the shares in the Jádvölgy and Vaskoh Aluminium Mining Company. Since Hiller had also applied for 'closed exploration' in the name of Count Károly Kornis, which gave them a kind of trademark patent for exploring bauxite deposits, they formed a company called Count Károly Kornis Bauxit. By 1915, the company was able to extract 59,000 tonnes of bauxite from its mines in Bihar County.

After the successful research, the group decided to establish the Aluminium Ore Mining and Industry Joint Stock Company, based in Budapest. Hiller became the head of the company, which was established on 29 January 1917. The establishment of the first Hungarian aluminium factory in Transylvania, planned for the end of the 1910s, could not be realised due to the defeat in the war and the Trianon peace treaty.

After the war, all the bauxite mines came under Romanian, Serbian and Italian control. At the same time, in order to redirect at least part of the production from the foreign mines back to Hungary, the bankhaus Blankart & Die Kommandit A.-G. (Zurich) and the Aluminium Ore Mining and Industry Joint Stock Company were founded jointly by the general director József Hiller and the banking company Bankhaus Blankart & Die Kommandit A.-G. (Zurich) in 1923 in Zurich under the name Bauxit Trust A.-G.

At the same time, efforts were also being made to exploit domestic bauxite production. With the support of the Hungarian General Credit Bank, Hiller acquired the closed prospecting rights for Gánti and Csákvár from the mining engineer Jenő Balás. Technical assistance was provided by Lajos Bartha and Andor Kutas.

Through his merits and activities in the bauxite industry, he has also been the CEO of Bauxite Industry Joint Stock Company and Victoria Chemical Works Joint Stock Company, and Chairman of Tapolca Mining Joint Stock Company.

Despite the provisions of the Jewish laws, he remained in his post and trusted in his integrity, partly in return for favourable economic moves towards Germany.On 14/15 April 1944, however, he was taken away by the Gestapo and died in the Mauthausen concentration camp.

 

Sources

Ágnes Kenyeres (editor-in-chief): Hungarian Biographical Dictionary. Hungarian Hungarian Heritage. Budapest, 1967. 724.

Press material 1900-1944/1945.

Lajos Szűcs:The History of the Magyaróvár Alumina and Artificial Alumina Factory - Plant History Notes 9. Mosonmagyaróvár, 1974. 143-144.

Lajos Szűcs:The History of the Magyaróvár Timföld and Artificial Earth Factory 1934-1984 Mosonmagyaróvár, 1984. 233-234.

István Tóth: The life and work of Dr. József Hiller (1885-1945), the founder of Aluérc Ltd. Mining and Metallurgy Journal - Metallurgy, 1997. 130(5-6), 185-190.