August Thonet, one of the five descendant of Michael Thonet, was born and raised in Boppard, Germany in the year 1829. Taking over their family business Gebruder Thonet in 1969, he immediately gained a reputation for his bent beechwood furniture. He also managed to create a machine capable of bending wood. Ten years after, he was named the Knight of the Order of Franz Joseph I. In 1896 he passed on the family business to his son Jacob Thonet.