City history: Bocholt's honorary citizen Gustav Becker

20 July marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Bocholt factory owner, local politician and honorary citizen Gustav Becker. He went down in Bocholt's history as a man who, as an excellent expert on local and economic conditions, had earned great recognition for the development and rise of the city.

Gustav Heinrich Becker was born on 9 December 1860 in Ascheberg, the son of a merchant, and attended the local primary and secondary school. He initially completed a commercial apprenticeship in a manufactured goods shop in Delbrück.

He later learnt the essential tasks of the textile industry at the Brandts coloured weaving mill in Mönchen-Gladbach, before becoming works manager at the Bocholt-based company A. & L. Ketteler in 1884. In 1889, together with Heinrich Drießen, he founded the Drießen & Becker cotton colour weaving mill here with around 80 looms, which he rebuilt after a fire in 1892 and equipped with 400 looms.

Gustav Becker made a special contribution to combating the housing shortage in Bocholt. In 1897, he was one of the co-founders of the charitable Bocholt Building Association, which he chaired for 25 years. The following year, he became a member of the Lower Rhine Chamber of Industry and Commerce Wesel-Duisburg and served as deputy chairman of the Bocholt district.

From 1900-1911, Gustav Becker was a member of the city council in Bocholt, held the office of First Alderman from 1908-1916 and subsequently served as a city councillor until his death. He was also a member and chairman of the savings bank board and a member of the district council, the district committee and the provincial parliament. In August 1907, he was awarded the Order of the Red Eagle, 4th class, before the college of city councillors awarded him honorary citizenship of the city of Bocholt on 11 December 1923 in recognition of his achievements.

Just eight months later, Gustav Becker died in Munich after a serious illness. "His highly valuable services cannot be measured in words - the name Gustav Becker will not go down in the history of the city of Bocholt", wrote Lord Mayor Dr Schmitz to his widow in his letter of condolence. The connecting road between Rheder and Blücherstraße had already been named "Gustav-Becker-Straße" during his lifetime.

Photo: Bocholt city archives, Gustav Becker photo collection no. 1; text: Wolfgang Tembrink