Max Kade

Dr. h.c. Max Kade (13 October 1882, Steinbach near Schwäbisch Hall, Württemberg, Germany - 15 July 1967, Davos, Switzerland) was an emigrant from Germany to New York City who became successful in the pharmaceutical industry. Kade was committed to advancing German-American relations. He established a foundation in New York to promote scientific and technical progress and to further the peaceful coexistence of nations.

Life

Max Kade was born October 13, 1882 in Steinbach, a village near Schwäbisch Hall, Germany. His father was a partner in a machine factory and iron foundry. After finishing school, Kade completed a commercial apprenticeship in his father's business. Later he lived in Völklingen and Antwerp. In 1904 he emigrated to North America, living first in Montreal, then moving to New York in 1907. With a partner, he founded Seeck & Kade Inc., a pharmaceutical company, which after 1911 he directed alone. The company had great success with its cough syrup "Pertussin".

On January 26, 1908 Kade married Annette Marie Baudais. They had no children. In the 1920s the couple began to lend their fortune to philanthropic and social causes. Great attention was bestowed upon his home city, Steinbach, which had become part of Schwäbisch Hall in 1930. Kade was also an art collector and a patron of the arts who made many valuable gifts to German museums.