Anton Philips

Anton Philips
(photo by Franz Ziegler)
Born	Anton Frederik Philips (1874-03-14)14 March 1874 Zaltbommel, Gelderland, Netherlands
Died	7 October 1951(1951-10-07) (aged 77) Eindhoven, North Brabant, Netherlands
Nationality	Dutch
Known for	Founding Royal Philips Electronics N.V.
Spouse	Anne Henriëtte Elisabeth Maria de Jongh
Children	3 (including Frits Philips)
Parent(s)	Frederik Philips (1830–1900) Maria Heyligers (1836–1921)
Relatives	Gerard Philips (1858–1942) (brother) Lion Philips (grandfather) Karl Marx (uncle)

Anton Frederik Philips (14 March 1874^[1] – 7 October 1951) co-founded Royal Philips Electronics N.V. in 1912 with his older brother Gerard Philips in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. His father and Gerard had founded the Philips Company in 1891 as a family business. Anton Philips served as CEO of the company from 1922 to 1939.

Early life and education

Born to a Dutch family of

Career

In May 1891 the father Frederik was the financier and, with his son Gerard Philips, co-founder of the Philips Company as a family business. In 1912 Anton joined the firm, which they renamed Philips Gloeilampenfabriek N.V. (Philips Lightbulbfactory NV)

During World War I, Anton Philips managed to increase sales by taking advantage of a boycott of German goods in several countries. He provided the markets with alternative products.

Anton (and his brother Gerard) are remembered as being civic-minded. In Eindhoven they supported education and social programmes and facilities, such as the football department of the Philips Sports Association, which is the best known. From it the professional football department developed into the independent Philips Sport Vereniging N.V. (PSV Eindhoven).

Anton Philips brought his son

Frits Philips chose to stay and manage the company during the occupation. He was imprisoned for several months at the concentration camp of Vught after his workers went on strike, and he survived. He saved the lives of 382 Jews by claiming them as indispensable to his factory, and enabled them to evade Nazi roundups and deportation to concentration camps. He was honoured with the title Righteous Among the Nations by the State of Israel in 1996.^[2]

Anton Philips died in Eindhoven in 1951. He was awarded

Philips married Anne Henriëtte Elisabeth Maria de Jongh (Amersfoort, 30 May 1878 – Eindhoven, 7 March 1970). They had the following children:

• Anna Elisabeth Cornelia Philips (19 June 1899 – 4 April 1996), married in 1925 to Pieter Franciscus Sylvester Otten (1895 – 1969), and had Diek and Franz Otten (b. c. 1928 – d. 1967); Franz became a manager in his grandfather's company Philips.
• Frederik Jacques Philips (1905–2005)
• Henriëtte Anna Philips (Eindhoven, 26 October 1906 – 2007), married firstly to A. Knappert (d. 1932), without issue. Married secondly to Jonkheer G. Sandberg (d. 5 September 1935), without issue. Married thirdly in New York City, New York, on 29 September 1938 to Jonkheer Hendrik Abraham Cornelis (Henk) van Riemsdijk [nl] (Aerdenhout, 10 January 1911 – Eindhoven, 8 November 2005). They had the following children:
  • Jonkvrouw Anne Henriëtte van Riemsdijk (b.
    Atjeh, Koeta Radja
    , 10 March 1930), son of Jacobus Tuijt and wife Hedwig Jager, without issue
  • Jonkvrouw Henriëtte Adriënne Leopoldine van Riemsdijk (b.
    Sedan
    , 7 July 1952).
  • Jonkvrouw Margarete Juliana Cornélie van Riemsdijk (b. Waalre, 4 September 1948), married at Waalre, 28 October 1972 to Elie Johan François van Dissel (b. Eindhoven, 9 October 1948), without issue.

References

External links

• Anton Philips (1874-1951) (in Dutch)