Otto Frederick Rohwedder (July 7, 1880 – November 8, 1960) was an American inventor and engineer who created the first automatic bread-slicing machine for commercial use. It was first used by the Chillicothe Missouri Baking Company.
Early life and education
Rohwedder was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on July 7, 1880, the son of Claus and Margaret Rohwedder, of ethnic German descent. He was the second youngest of four brothers and a sister.
Rohwedder and his family lived in Davenport, where he attended Davenport public schools. He then became an apprentice to a jeweler to learn a trade.
Rohwedder also studied optometry, graduating in 1900 with a degree in optics from what is now the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago. He became a jeweler.
Marriage and family
Rohwedder married Carrie S. Johnson in 1905. They settled in St. Joseph, Missouri, and had two children, Margaret and Richard. Carrie died in 1955.
Career
Rohwedder first had a brief career as a jeweler, and became the owner of three jewelry stores in St. Joseph, Missouri. He used his work with watches and jewelry to invent new machines. Convinced he could develop a bread slicing machine, he sold his jewelry stores to fund the development effort and manufacture the machines.