Hoechst AG

Hoechst AG
Company type	Aktiengesellschaft
Industry	Chemicals, Life sciences, Pharmaceuticals
Predecessor	Teerfarbenfabrik Meister, Lucius & Co.
Founded	1863; 163 years ago
Founder	Wilhelm Meister
Defunct	December 7, 1999
Fate	Merged with Rhône-Poulenc to form Aventis; later became part of Sanofi-Aventis
Successor	Aventis Deutschland
Headquarters	Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Wilhelm Meister (founder)
Products	Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Life sciences products
Parent	Sanofi-Aventis (since 2005)

Hoechst AG () was a German enterprise initially focused on chemicals and later expanding into life sciences. In 1999, it merged with the French company Rhône-Poulenc S.A., resulting in the creation of Aventis Deutschland. After Aventis combined with Sanofi-Synthélabo in 2004, Hoechst became part of the Sanofi-Aventis pharmaceutical group as a subsidiary.

History

The origins of the company date back to 1863 when it was established as "Teerfarbenfabrik Meister, Lucius & Co." in Höchst, near Frankfurt. It was subsequently renamed "Teerfarbenfabrik Meister Lucius & Brüning." By 1880, it transitioned into a joint-stock company under the name "Farbwerke vorm. Meister Lucius & Brüning AG," which was internationally recognized as "Farbwerke Hoechst AG." Hoechst remained an independent entity until 1925. In 1916, it played a key role in founding IG Farben, which evolved from an industrial association into a dominant chemical conglomerate by 1925.

World War II

During World War II, Hoechst's manufacturing plants were targeted as part of the Oil Campaign. Company executives were prosecuted during the Nuremberg IG Farben trial due to their participation in forced labor practices and unethical medical experiments conducted on concentration camp inmates.

Postwar timeline

1951 — On December 7, Hoechst AG was re-established in Frankfurt following the breakup of IG Farben, starting with a capital of 100,000 Deutsche Mark. By 1953, it had expanded through acquisitions including parts of Knapsack-Griesheim, Kalle & Co., Behring Werke, Wacker Chemie, and Ruhr Chemie.

1957 — Entered into a technical collaboration agreement with Handok Pharmaceuticals from South Korea.

1964 — Formed a joint venture partnership with Handok Pharmaceuticals in South Korea.

1969 — Purchased Cassella Farbwerke Mainkur Aktiengesellschaft.

1970 — Acquired Berger, Jenson and Nicholson Ltd.

1974 — Took over Foster Grant; later divested it in 1986 to Andlinger & Co.

1987 — Acquired the American chemical firm Celanese, establishing Hoechst Celanese as its U.S. subsidiary.

1988 — Disposed of Berger, Jenson and Nicholson Ltd by selling it to Williams Holdings.

1995 — Merged with Marion Merrell Dow based in Kansas City, Missouri, creating the U.S. subsidiary Hoechst Marion Roussel (HMR).

1997 — Reorganized its operations into separate entities such as Nutrinova and Clariant.

1999 (December 7) — Resolved antitrust issues raised by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission related to its merger with Rhône-Poulenc.

1999 — The merger with Rhône-Poulenc S.A., headquartered in Strasbourg, France, led to the formation of Aventis. Its industrial divisions were spun off as Celanese, an independent company that included the engineering polymers segment Ticona.

2005 — Fully integrated into Sanofi-Aventis (currently known as Sanofi) as a wholly owned subsidiary.

Key figures

Wilhelm Meister (1827–1895) founded Teerfarbenfabrik Meister, Lucius & Co., which eventually became Hoechst AG. He was also the great-grandfather of William von Meister, who co-founded Control Video Corporation, later rebranded as America Online. Pascal Soriot, now CEO of AstraZeneca, worked at Hoechst and its successor Aventis from 1989 until 2006.

External links