August Röhss

He was a member of a prominent Röhss family. He attended the Chalmers School for Craft (now known as the Chalmers University of Technology) and Bergsskolan, the mining school in Falun.

His father, Wilhelm Röhss conducted trade and shipping on a large scale and owned a brewery and factories for cotton, sugar, paper, among other things.After his death, his sons Wilhelm and August continued the business and invested in iron works in Värmland and in saws in the booming timber industry in Norrland. August first became his brother's business partner and was its sole owner from 1900 until its liquidation in 1902.

He was a patron of several artists and museums. He donated considerable sums to the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts, and a large book collection to the Gothenburg Public Library. He added 180,000 kr to the money already given by his brother for the future Röhsska Museum. He gave 350,000 kr to Gothenburg University for the establishment of three professorial chairs, one in political economy and sociology, another one in geography and ethnography, and a third in political science and statistics.

August Röhss was elected an honorary member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in 1891, and was a member of the Royal Society of Sciences and Letters in Gothenburg.