Johann Friedrich Weskott (8 October 1821 – 4 October 1876) was a German master dyer and industrialist who co-founded the dyestuffs firm ''Friedr. Bayer et comp.'' in 1863 with Friedrich Bayer. The partnership, initially focused on synthetic coal-tar (aniline) dyes such as fuchsine, grew into the company later known as Bayer AG.[1][2][3]
Life
Weskott was born in Elberfeld (now part of Wuppertal) and received his schooling in nearby Langerfeld. In 1837 he began an apprenticeship as a dyer at the firm Karthaus & Otto in Barmen. In 1848 he established his own cotton-yarn dyeing business, first in rented premises in Heckinghausen and later in Barmen-Rittershausen; among his principal customers was the local sewing-thread and braiding company Barthels & Feldhoff.[1]