Johannes Mohn: Continuity and Protestant Responsibility

Johannes Mohn, who managed the C. Bertelsmann publishing company from 1887 to 1921, was affectionately referred to as the “fourth pastor of Gütersloh” by the town’s citizens. Born on June 16, 1856 in Niederwambach in what is now Rhineland-Palatinate, he originally wanted to become a priest, and was invariably dressed in a Lutherrock, a black frock typically worn by Protestant priests. This plan was thwarted by the fact that he was an asthmatic and as a result lacked the strong voice necessary for giving sermons. Instead, he began an apprenticeship as a bookseller at Bertelsmann in 1874, married Heinrich Bertelsmann’s only daughter Friederike (1859-1946) in 1881, and in 1887 became his father-in-law’s partner and successor.

Johannes Mohn, company owner
of the third generation

Johannes Mohn was devoted to parish and community work. The publisher based his actions first and foremost on ethical and social considerations. He served the Protestant community as a presbyter and church manager for many long years, supporting the church’s renovation and construction projects, such as the kindergarten on Moltkestraße, with generous donations. In the festschrift for the kindergarten’s 100th anniversary, a nun is quoted describing Johannes Mohn’s contributions: “Our dear, beloved chairman has proven his great loyalty to the kindergarten by providing for its children, nuns and helpers in a moving, unassuming manner […] Mr. Mohn has always given with open hands and a friendly countenance. The children loved our chairman vastly. How great was our joy when he visited us at school! And when the little ones met Mr. Mohn on the street, it was the first thing they would tell me about, with shining eyes. When children fell ill, they asked to see not the doctor, but Mr. Mohn.” In 1911, Johannes Mohn was awarded the Order of the Red Eagle, 4th Class for services rendered to the parish.

Like his father-in-law, Johannes Mohn served as Chairman of the Barthsche Stiftung (Barth Foundation) management board and as curator of the Evangelisch-Stiftisches Gymnasium (secondary school) in Gütersloh. He also sat on the boards of numerous Christian, social and missionary institutions. By introducing a number of new publication series, he helped Bertelsmann to attain a leading role in missionary literature, which he felt was a priority alongside theological publications. Mohn also served the mission by managing a company in German East Africa and taking care of the missionary sons housed at the Johanneum.

Johannes Mohn was especially concerned about the welfare of his employees, with whom he cultivated close relationships to the point of visiting them when they were ill. He expected performance and loyalty from his workforce, and repaid them generously for it. The company’s 75th anniversary in 1910 – which he celebrated by taking his 80 employees on an outing – is seen as typical for Mohn’s relationship with his staff. For the occasion, he donated 10,000 Goldmarks to the welfare fund and presented each employee with a box of cigars, along with a Taler (silver coin) for each year they had been with the company. As a further token of his appreciation, he granted his workers and employees three paid days off per year as of July 2nd, 1910– at a time when only around 10 percent of all workers in Germany received paid vacation at all!

Johannes Mohn’s efforts followed in the tradition of his publishing predecessors, whose management style and social responsibility Johannes Mohn regarded as a legacy and guideline for his own conduct. Traumatized by the emperor’s abdication and Germany’s defeat, the “fourth pastor of Gütersloh” handed over the publishing business to his son Heinrich in 1921. Johannes Mohn died in Gütersloh on November 2, 1930.