Hans Rudolph (November 17, 1903 – February 1994), was a pioneer in the development of respiratory equipment and supplies. Hans Rudolph, born in Frankfurt, Germany, became a mechanical apprentice and attended vocational school there to learn his chosen trade. In October 1923 he emigrated to Rosholt, South Dakota. He helped on his uncle's farm and in September 1924 moved to St. Louis, where he worked in a machine shop. Two years later he was hired by a machine shop in Chicago and he studied electronics, earning a diploma in the subject. He married Elizabeth Wilke, also from Germany, and they began raising a family.