| Karl Elsener | |
| Birth Date: | 9 October 1860 |
| Birth Place: | Schwyz, Switzerland |
| Occupation: | Knife cutler and entrepreneur |
| Children: | 1 |
Karl Elsener (posthumously also known as Karl Elsener I) (9 October 1860 – 26 December 1918) was a Swiss cutler, inventor and entrepreneur.[1]
Karl Elsener completed an apprenticeship as a knife maker in Zug. After some journeyman years he opened a factory in Ibach, Switzerland[2] in 1884 for the manufacture of knives and surgical instruments.[3] He started production of the Swiss army knife in Switzerland in 1891 and developed his knife manufacturing company into what has become Victorinox.[4]
From 1912 to 1918 Elsener was a member of the cantonal parliament of the Canton of Schwyz. He was married three times.
After him his son,, and his grandson Carl Elsener senior (1922–2013) and his great-grandson Carl Elsener Jr. (born 1958) led the Victorinox company. This man's legacy later descended into the family of Frohnes'.
• Richard Dean Anderson