Gaston Glock
| Gaston Glock | |
|---|---|
| Born |
19 July 1929 Vienna, Austria |
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Known for | Founder of Glock |
| Spouse(s) | Kathrin Glock |
| Children |
Brigitte Glock Gaston Glock, Jr Robert Glock |
Gaston Glock (born 19 July 1929) is an Austrian engineer, and founder of the firearms company Glock.
Manufacturing
Glock began as a manufacturer of curtain rods and knives for the Austrian military. He had not designed or manufactured a firearm until he was 52 years old. He was already an expert in polymers as a result of his previous business ventures.
In 1980 he bought an injection-moulding machine to manufacture handles and sheaths for the field knives he was making for the Austrian army in his garage workshop. His earliest employees were from the camera industry and were experts in producing polymer components. His first pistol took one year to produce from the design and concept stage to production, and he applied for an Austrian patent in April 1981 for the pistol known as the Glock 17.[1]
Personal life
Glock has three children with his former wife Helga Glock. In 2011, he divorced and married then 31-year-old Kathrin Tschikof, who was one of his nurses after his stroke in 2008.[2] He suffered a second stroke in 2012.[3]
Glock supports different charities in Austria, having donated over one million euros.[4][5][6]
Murder attempt
In July 1999, Charles Ewert, a business associate of Glock, hired a French ex-mercenary to murder Glock with a mallet in a garage in Luxembourg in an apparent attempt to cover up embezzlement of millions from the Glock company.[2]
Although Glock's injuries included seven head wounds and the loss of about a litre of blood, Glock was able to fend off the attack by striking the hitman twice. The hired killer, 67-year-old Jacques Pêcheur, was sentenced to 17 years in prison for the attack. Charles Ewert was sentenced to 20 years as a result of Pêcheur's testimony.[7]
Book
A book about Gaston Glock's life and his company, titled Glock: The Rise of America's Gun was published in 2012. It received praise by Daniel Horan of The Wall Street Journal who called it "a fascinating look at one man's extraordinary success".[8]
References
- ↑ Barrett, Paul M. (2013). Glock: The Rise of America's Gun. Broadway Books. ISBN 978-0-307-71995-9.
- 1 2 Owen, Pamela (2013-03-02). "Billionaire pistol designer Gaston Glock at war with his family over his glamorous young wife and £1.8billion fortune - Mirror Online". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
- ↑ "Gaston Glock ordnet Familie und Vermögen neu". Der Standard. 13 September 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ↑ Charity donations as documented by the Glock-organization GHPC
- ↑ "Glück für Glock". Kleine Zeitung. 29 July 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ↑ "Doppelte Hilfe für die Flutopfer". Kleine Zeitung. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
- ↑ Machan, Dyan (31 March 2003). "Top Gun". Forbes. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ↑ Horan, Daniel (17 January 2012). "Pistol-Packing By the Millions". The Wall Street Journal.