Ernst Mahler
| Ernst Mahler | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 17, 1887 |
| Died | July 30, 1967 (aged 79) |
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Alma mater | Technische Hochschule de Darmstadt |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Kimberly-Clark Corporation |
Ernst Mahler (October 17, 1887 – July 30, 1967) was an Austrian chemist and leader of the Kimberly-Clark Corporation in Wisconsin. Mahler developed, refined, and commercialized various popular products and processes of papermaking. He was also instrumental in the foundation of the Institute of Paper Science and Technology (IPST) as well as the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI).
Mahler was born in Vienna, Austria on October 17, 1887. He went to Darmstadt, Germany to attend Darmstadt University of Technology, and studied industrial chemistry, specializing in cellulose chemistry and the science of papermaking. He graduated with distinction in 1912.
Mahler came to the United States in 1912 and became a naturalized citizen in 1917. He took employment with Kimberly-Clark in Neenah, Wisconsin, and served as the papermaking company's head chemist. He married Carol Lyon of Minneapolis in August, 1918.
Mahler spearheaded research and development at his company, and perfected numerous innovative chemical processes. His development of creped wadding, a soft and fluffy absorbent material, became over time one of Kimberley-Clark's most important products and the source of billions of dollars in global sales. During World War I, creped wadding made from paper had been developed as a cotton substitute for surgical dressings; under Mahler's commercialization process, it became the basis of such well-known products as Kleenex and Kotex.
Mahler rose through the corporate hierarchy from chemist to Executive Vice President in 1937. He led Kimberly-Clark until his retirement in 1952.
The US Army Service Forces appointed Mahler to their purchase policy division during World War II. After the war, he spent further time as a consultant for the reconstitution of papermaking industries in Belgium, Holland, France and Germany. For these services, Mahler was awarded the US Army Medal of Freedom in 1946.
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