William von Meister


William F. von Meister was of German Noble descent and an American entrepreneur who founded and participated in a number of startup ventures in the Washington, D.C., area. These included The Source, an early online service and CompuServe competitor, and Control Video Corporation, a predecessor company to America Online.

Early years

William Ferdinand von Meister was born on February 21, 1942 in New York City to F. W. von Meister and Eleanora Colloredo-Mannsfeld. His father, F. W. von Meister, was the godson of Kaiser Wilhelm II, his mother a countess. In the 1930s, F. W. von Meister was the United States representative of the Zeppelin Company that built the Hindenburg.
William von Meister attended high school at Middlesex Academy in Massachusetts, and a finishing school in Switzerland. He then attended Georgetown University. Though he never completed his undergraduate education, he persuaded nearby American University to enroll him in its master's program for business.

Personal life and death

Von Meister has at least one brother, Peter. Bill von Meister died of cancer in Great Falls, Virginia, at the age of 53, leaving behind his son, Fredrick William von Meister. Frederick later passed away in 2004 leaving behind a son Maximilian.

Titles

As Head of the House of Meister, and therefore a Prussian Lord, he held the title of His Highness.