Family Card - Person Sheet
NameRichard Richards de Dunaréti 
Birthabt 1 Dec 1867, Brno
Death24 Feb 1942
FatherMaximilian (Max) Kohn (1834-1908)
MotherSofie Back (1834-1884)
Spouses
Marriage14 Feb 1893
Notes for Richard Richards de Dunaréti
{geni:about_me} Richard Richards -
Manufacturer, Győr textile industry (1867-1942)
Coming to Győr -
Born in Brno in 1867 into a wealthy industrialist family. He studied economics and finance, gaining experience in management while running his father's textile factory in Brno.
He became manager of his uncle Hermann Back’s flour mill in Győr. In 1904 he became co-owner, a resident of Győr and Hungarian citizen.
Plant Plans -
He already had thoughts about returning to the textile business and establishing his own weaving factory in 1900 while working in his uncle Hermann Back’s Györ flour mill. In 1905, Emperor Franz Joseph elevated him to Hungarian nobility in recognition of his merits, and he adopted the suffix "von Dunaret" (Danube meadows). He was regularly involved in initiatives and organizations to help the poor. In July 1905 he began to organize the building of a weaving factory. He drew on knowledge and experience acquired abroad, mindful of financial opportunities as this type of product did not exist in Hungary. In the same year a pilot weaving plant was established and Károly Ditró (Karl Diamant) appointed to head a workshop of technical textile professionals.
Richards also built a factory -
A contract to set up the new facility was signed on 5 July 1906, with unanimous support for keeping it in the city of Győr. A building permit for the weaving factory was received in May 1907, with Lajos Hlatky-Schlichter in chargeof design and construction work. At this time, the Hermann Back mill and professional training workshop burned down, with many people losing their lives.
In 1908, building of the weaving plant, boiler house and power transformer house was finished. In April 1908 50 factory workers started work on 35 looms, with a significant part of the work carried out by young girls. Richards took great care over the welfare of workers at the factory and there was hardly any lung disease. Initially, it only did weaving, and the cloth was shipped by rail to the Max Kohn factory (founded by Richard Richards’ father) in Brnofor finishing. In 1909, the Győr facility was expanded to include a finishing plant. In 1911, Richards textiles became better known, and won awards at international fairs.
Benefactor -
Richards used the success of the factory to support charitable causes. He donated to orphanages, fire stations, hospitals. Employee salaries were not raised because he wanted to help those who were still unemployed.
Patronage included the purchase and donation to the city of Antaly Ruschek drawing and engravings as an inner-city parish legacy for public view.
Trade Minister Ferenc Kossuth (son of Hungarian freedom fighter Lajos Kossuth) also visited the factory, making commendations.
In 1917, families of war migrants were helped with 5,000 crowns, and this amount was also used to support the Red Cross, Red Crescent, the poor of the city, disabled soldiers and a proposal to create a garden city in Györ.
Sale of factory -
In 1917, a spinning mill was added to the factory, so integrated operations could be carried out in one location. The cloth factory also had its own railway siding constructed so it could be independent of the neighbouring flour mill. All was ready for a stand-alone operation. Then Richard Richards conceived the idea of selling the factory. In 1918, he did this and Richards completed private ownership of the factory. [??]
Richard Richards’ achievements -
No one had produced fashion goods in Hungary before him, and he managed to overcome the prejudice against anything that wasn’t English.
In addition to woolen and worsted fabrics, combed and carded fabrics were also produced.
He was the first to mechanize artisan frames in textile factory operation.
His name is associated with the launch of textile schools, which were the basis for the development of textile skills in Győr.
In the 1920s, Richards often visited his former factory, interested that the fabric maintained its recognized quality.
He died on Feb. 24 1942 and is buried in the crypt of St Imre church in Győr.
Sources -
George Lehner, The Story of the Richards Fine Cloth Factory 1905-1980. Gyor, 1985.
Biographical Encyclopedia of Győr. Győr City Library, Győr 1999
Jozsa Melinda: The famous Back mill: the Richards Fine Cloth Factory, a brief history. 1985
Edited Google translate of http://kitud.kkmk.hu/web/guest/wiki/-/wiki/Main/Richards%20Rich%C3%A1rd
Manufacturer, Győr textile industry (1867-1942)
Coming to Győr -
Born in Brno in 1867 into a wealthy industrialist family. He studied economics and finance, gaining experience in management while running his father's textile factory in Brno.
He became manager of his uncle Hermann Back’s flour mill in Győr. In 1904 he became co-owner, a resident of Győr and Hungarian citizen.
Plant Plans -
He already had thoughts about returning to the textile business and establishing his own weaving factory in 1900 while working in his uncle Hermann Back’s Györ flour mill. In 1905, Emperor Franz Joseph elevated him to Hungarian nobility in recognition of his merits, and he adopted the suffix "von Dunaret" (Danube meadows). He was regularly involved in initiatives and organizations to help the poor. In July 1905 he began to organize the building of a weaving factory. He drew on knowledge and experience acquired abroad, mindful of financial opportunities as this type of product did not exist in Hungary. In the same year a pilot weaving plant was established and Károly Ditró (Karl Diamant) appointed to head a workshop of technical textile professionals.
Richards also built a factory -
A contract to set up the new facility was signed on 5 July 1906, with unanimous support for keeping it in the city of Győr. A building permit for the weaving factory was received in May 1907, with Lajos Hlatky-Schlichter in chargeof design and construction work. At this time, the Hermann Back mill and professional training workshop burned down, with many people losing their lives.
In 1908, building of the weaving plant, boiler house and power transformer house was finished. In April 1908 50 factory workers started work on 35 looms, with a significant part of the work carried out by young girls. Richards took great care over the welfare of workers at the factory and there was hardly any lung disease. Initially, it only did weaving, and the cloth was shipped by rail to the Max Kohn factory (founded by Richard Richards’ father) in Brnofor finishing. In 1909, the Győr facility was expanded to include a finishing plant. In 1911, Richards textiles became better known, and won awards at international fairs.
Benefactor -
Richards used the success of the factory to support charitable causes. He donated to orphanages, fire stations, hospitals. Employee salaries were not raised because he wanted to help those who were still unemployed.
Patronage included the purchase and donation to the city of Antaly Ruschek drawing and engravings as an inner-city parish legacy for public view.
Trade Minister Ferenc Kossuth (son of Hungarian freedom fighter Lajos Kossuth) also visited the factory, making commendations.
In 1917, families of war migrants were helped with 5,000 crowns, and this amount was also used to support the Red Cross, Red Crescent, the poor of the city, disabled soldiers and a proposal to create a garden city in Györ.
Sale of factory -
In 1917, a spinning mill was added to the factory, so integrated operations could be carried out in one location. The cloth factory also had its own railway siding constructed so it could be independent of the neighbouring flour mill. All was ready for a stand-alone operation. Then Richard Richards conceived the idea of selling the factory. In 1918, he did this and Richards completed private ownership of the factory. [??]
Richard Richards’ achievements -
No one had produced fashion goods in Hungary before him, and he managed to overcome the prejudice against anything that wasn’t English.
In addition to woolen and worsted fabrics, combed and carded fabrics were also produced.
He was the first to mechanize artisan frames in textile factory operation.
His name is associated with the launch of textile schools, which were the basis for the development of textile skills in Győr.
In the 1920s, Richards often visited his former factory, interested that the fabric maintained its recognized quality.
He died on Feb. 24 1942 and is buried in the crypt of St Imre church in Győr.
Sources -
George Lehner, The Story of the Richards Fine Cloth Factory 1905-1980. Gyor, 1985.
Biographical Encyclopedia of Győr. Győr City Library, Győr 1999
Jozsa Melinda: The famous Back mill: the Richards Fine Cloth Factory, a brief history. 1985
Edited Google translate of http://kitud.kkmk.hu/web/guest/wiki/-/wiki/Main/Richards%20Rich%C3%A1rd