Adolph Woermann

Adolph Woermann was a German merchant, shipowner and politician, who was also instrumental in the establishment of German colonies in Africa. In his time he was the largest German trader to West Africa and – with his Woermann-Linie – the largest private shipowner in the world. He remains a controversial figure, for the fact that he accumulated his vast fortunes from exploitation and war profiteering, particularly during the Herero Wars.