Friedrich Wilhelm Retz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Friedrich Wilhelm Retz
Citizenship	German
Occupation	Businessman, diplomat, watchmaker
Known for	Founder of Retz & Co.

Friedrich Wilhelm Retz (born 29 March 1845 in Neuenstadt; died 16 June 1923 in Yokohama) was a German businessman and watchmaker. He lived in Japan during the early Meiji Era. He also served as an honorary consul for Holland, Norway, and Sweden.

Friedrich Wilhelm Retz was a very important European person in Japan during the Meiji Era. This was a time when Japan was opening up to the world.

Starting a Business in Japan

Friedrich Wilhelm Retz arrived in Japan in October 1872. He first worked for a Swiss watch company called Schwartz & Co. This company was located in Yokohama.

After only two years, in 1874, Retz started his own company. He named it "F.Retz & Co." and it was also in Yokohama. He began importing watches from Switzerland. People in Japan really wanted these watches, so his business did very well.

In 1876, his former boss, Eulogius Schwartz, closed his business. Retz then took over Schwartz's watch operations in Yokohama.

Expanding His Company

In 1881, Friedrich Retz decided to make his company bigger. He started trading in different kinds of goods. He changed his company's name to "Retz, Gröhser & Co."

One of his new ventures was becoming the main seller for a German beer company in Japan. His brother, Carl Ludwig Retz, was a master brewer at that company in Germany.

Retz also got involved in the shipping business. He worked as an agent for a large shipping company from Austria-Hungary. His goal was to start importing and exporting goods between Europe and Japan.

In 1891, he bought a watch factory in Switzerland. This showed how much his business had grown. He also opened a new branch of his company in Kobe, Japan, in 1895. He put his nephew, Wilhelm Retz, in charge of this new office.

Friedrich Wilhelm Retz became ill in the 1920s. He passed away on June 16, 1923, in Yokohama. He was buried in the Yokohama Foreigners Cemetery.

His Family Life

Friedrich Wilhelm Retz married Adelheid Vanek in 1854. She was from Budapest, Hungary, and also lived in Yokohama. They had four children together. All their children were born in Yokohama. Their names were Adele Marie (born 1875), Luise (born 1876), Friedrich Wilhelm Karl (born 1891), and Paula Sophie (born 1882).

In 1883, the family traveled to Germany. However, they returned to Yokohama in 1892. His daughter, Paula Sophie, later married Richard Schmidt-Scharff in 1905. He was also a businessman in Japan.

Special Recognition

In 1890, Friedrich Wilhelm Retz received a special honor. He was made a knight of the Imperial Austrian Order of Franz Joseph. This was a high award given by the Austrian Empire.