Professor Adolf Ledebur (1837-1906)
1906 Obituary [1]
ADOLF LEDEBUR, Honorary Member of the Iron and Steel Institute, died on June 7, 1906. Born in 1837 at Blankenburg, in the Duchy of Brunswick, on leaving school he served his apprenticeship at the Zorge Ironworks in the Hartz, and then studied at the Brunswick Technical School.
In 1862 he entered the Government service, and was appointed assistant at the Ilsenberg Ironworks. After seven years in that position he took over the management of the Schwartzkopf Iron Foundry at Berlin, and in 1871 he was appointed blast-furnace manager at the Groditz Ironworks.
By his writings he attracted in 1875 the notice of the rector of the Freiberg School of Mines, Dr. G. Zeuner, who offered him the position of professor of the metallurgy of iron, a post he filled with brilliant success until his death. His merits were widely recognised. He was Commander of the Albert Order of Saxony, Knight of the Saxon Order of Merit, Commander of the Japanese Order of the Holy Treasure and of the Russian Order of Stanislaus.
As a practical engineer, as investigator, teacher, and author, he was alike brilliantly successful. Of his numerous published works the chief are his exhaustive handbook of the metallurgy of iron, his text-book "Mechanical and Metallurgical Technology," his handbook of "Iron and Steel Foundry Practice," and his "Guide for Ironworks and Laboratories." He was elected an Honorary Member in 1902.