Jacob van Geuns

Jacob van Geuns graduated as a civil engineer from the university in Delft and worked for several years in the Dutch East Indies. In 1900, he founded the Utrechtsche Asphaltfabriek. He started fencing as a student but continued to practice the sport as a businessman. At the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, he competed at the age of 40 in the individual épée tournament but lost all of his four bouts in the first round and was eliminated.

In 1907, van Geuns additionally took over the Amsterdam Asphalt Factory producing large amounts of asphalt paper. Eleven years later the Maatschappij tot bereiding van Kooltarproducten (Society for the Preparation of Coal Tar Products) in Krimpen/IJssel was added to the company as well as a department for disinfectants and mothballs. When the factory in Utrecht was destroyed by a fire the tar distillation was concentrated in Krimpen while asphalt paper was still produced in Utrecht. Van Geuns retired in 1934 after almost 35 years as a director.

Jacob van Geuns married Maria Elisabeth Hermina Aeyelts in 1891 with whom he had one son. The family moved from Utrecht to s’Gravenhage in 1913.