One of Austria’s best-known and probably most controversial entrepreneurs is dead: arms magnate Gaston Glock died on Wednesday at the age of 94.
Gaston Glock developed one of the most famous pistols in the world in the 1980s. To this day, the ‘Glock’ is not only the standard weapon of the Austrian police and armed forces, the American security forces, like many other authorities around the world, rely on the pistol from Austria.
At the time, Glock founded an arms production company in Deutsch-Wagram (Lower Austria), but soon expanded throughout the world. Gaston Glock was the son of a railroad worker; he himself completed his education at the then Federal Trade School, Department of Mechanical Engineering.
The Glock pistol quickly became a bestseller, especially in the American market. Glock, who worked as a plastics engineer at the time, actually developed the weapon because the Austrian army was looking for a new standard weapon at the time. It must be light, robust and have a high magazine capacity.
Glock developed the “Glock 17”, which, thanks to its plastic construction, was easy to produce industrially with computer-controlled machines. “Gaston Glock has strategically aligned the GLOCK Group throughout his life and prepared it for the future. His life’s work will continue in his spirit,” the company announced on Wednesday after the death of its founder.
Glock’s public appearances had been rare, but his private life had also occupied the Society’s editorial staff, at least for a short time. After 49 years of marriage, the entrepreneur divorced his first wife Helga and married Kathrin, who was 52 years younger than him. To this day, she holds various positions within his company and is involved in equestrian sports and animal welfare.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
