Adolphe Goldschmidt
Encyclopedia
Adolphe Benedict Hayum Goldschmidt (1838, Frankfurt
- 6 April 1918, London
) was co-inheritor of the Goldschmidt family bank. His father was Benedict Hayum Salomon Goldschmidt, banker and consul to the Grand Duke of Tuscany. One of the richest families in Europe, in 1893, after their father's death, he and his brother, Maximilian decided to close the bank and leave Frankfurt
. While Maximilian, the later Maximilian von Goldschmidt-Rothschild, moved to Berlin
, Adolphe went first to Paris
and then to London
, where he bought a large house in Mayfair
. He also bought a 2,500 acre (10 km²) country estate in Suffolk
. Adolphe and his wife became collectors of art. They acquired many expensive pieces including the furniture of Louis XV and Louis XVI.
Adolphe did not want to go back into banking, but he became a sleeping partner in Helbert Wagg & Co. and invested in bonds. He also held interests in the Central Mining Investment Corp., which controlled mines in South Africa
and had interests in the De Beers
diamond and oil business.
Adolphe was the father of Conservative politician Frank Goldsmith
, who anglicized his name to "Goldsmith", and grandfather of tycoon James Goldsmith
.
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
- 6 April 1918, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) was co-inheritor of the Goldschmidt family bank. His father was Benedict Hayum Salomon Goldschmidt, banker and consul to the Grand Duke of Tuscany. One of the richest families in Europe, in 1893, after their father's death, he and his brother, Maximilian decided to close the bank and leave Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
. While Maximilian, the later Maximilian von Goldschmidt-Rothschild, moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Adolphe went first to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and then to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he bought a large house in Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
. He also bought a 2,500 acre (10 km²) country estate in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. Adolphe and his wife became collectors of art. They acquired many expensive pieces including the furniture of Louis XV and Louis XVI.
Adolphe did not want to go back into banking, but he became a sleeping partner in Helbert Wagg & Co. and invested in bonds. He also held interests in the Central Mining Investment Corp., which controlled mines in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and had interests in the De Beers
De Beers
De Beers is a family of companies that dominate the diamond, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea...
diamond and oil business.
Adolphe was the father of Conservative politician Frank Goldsmith
Frank Goldsmith
Francis Benedict Hyam Goldsmith was a British Conservative Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 1910 to 1918...
, who anglicized his name to "Goldsmith", and grandfather of tycoon James Goldsmith
James Goldsmith
Sir James Michael "Jimmy" Goldsmith was an Anglo-French billionaire financier and tycoon. Towards the end of his life, he became a magazine publisher and a politician. In 1994, he was elected to represent France as a Member of the European Parliament and he subsequently founded the short-lived...
.