Oppenheim family

The Oppenheim family is a German Jewish banking family which founded what was Europe's biggest private bank, Sal. Oppenheim.

History of the family and raising to nobility

Salomon Oppenheim founded the banking firm Sal. Oppenheim in the late 18th century. Until its sale in 2009, Sal. Oppenheim was the largest privately owned investment/banking house in Europe, with assets under management of €348 billion.

The Oppenheim family also co-founded the German Colonia-Versicherung and sold their majority stake for 3 billion DM in 1989. 820 million DM were used to increase the equity of the bank, while the rest (over 2 billion DM) was paid out to the family.

In 1867, the family received nobility in Austria with the title of Baron and a year later, in 1868 they were admitted to nobility of Prussia, also with the title of Freiherr and became incorporated into the German nobility.

Owner Family

The descendants of Eduard von Oppenheim (1831–1909) and Amalie Heuser (1835–1903) were the owners of the banking house until its sale to Deutsche Bank in 2009, unless an earlier sale within the family.

In August 1954, all limited partners’ shares were held by ten partners centered around Countess Emmy Arco-Valley (née Baroness von Oppenheim) and mother of Anton Count of Arco-Valley, Victoria von Frankenberg-Ludwigsdorf (née Baroness von Oppenheim), Dr. Stanislaus Count Strachwitz, Karin Baronin von Ullmann (née Baroness von Oppenheim), Ingrid Baroness von Oppenheim, Friedrich Carl Freiherr von Oppenheim, Count Wolf von Bredow, Clemens Carl Baron von Wrede, as well as the descendants of Robert Pferdmenges, Heinz Pferdmenges, and Ilse Bscher.

Victoria von Frankenberg-Ludwigsdorf died in the same year. Her daughter Alix-May Countess von Faber-Castell inherited her estate. Georg Baron von Ullmann, who had married Karin von Ullmann in 1953, became a new partner after 1954 and remained so until he died in 1972.

Genealogy

Notes

  1. ↑ Frédéric Barbier, "Banque, famille et société en Allemagne au XIX e siècle." Revue de synthèse 114.1 (1993): 123-137.
  2. ↑ Wilhelm Treue, "Die Bankiers Simon und Abraham Oppenheim 1828-1880. Der private Hintergrund ihrer beruflichen Tätigkeit, ihre Rolle in der Politik und ihre Nobilitierung." Zeitschrift für Unternehmensgeschichte 31.1 (1986): 31-72.
  3. ↑ "Sal. Oppenheim: Anklage-Bank".
  4. ↑ "Sal. Oppenheim: Anklage-Bank".
  5. ↑ magazin.spiegel.de
  6. ↑ Hans Pohl, Thorsten Beckers: Deutsche Bankiers des 20. Jahrhunderts. 2008, p. 297.