The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-28
TIE LATE BARON ALPHONSE DE
ROTHSCHILD.
History OF the Famous Family OF Je"Hh
Bank ers and PhiiAnthr0pists.

History OF the Famous Family OF JeNish
Bankers and PhilAnthr0pists.
To ruR Ep1ron or THE SUN-SI: The
great German historian 1heodor Mommsen
expressed In one OF his writings the opinion
tn at the history of the house OF Rohschild
is, from the viewpoint OF universal history
of far greater importance than that OF moro
tn an one OF the smaller reignine dynasties Of
the German Fatherland. 1t must therefore
BIO OF interest to many readers to learn Few
auth ntio facts. not only as to the chief OF the
Paris branch Of the international dynasty OF
financers, who died on May 20. at his palace.
at the ripe old age Of IS. but also as to his
ancestors and living relatives. Btographers
we're never welcome guests either At tho
bureaus or the cbAteaux of the descendants
of Mayer Amschel Roth schild. and 1t was only
with the greatest difficulties, and thanks to
personal relations. that these facts as to the
famous family Of fnanciers were obtained
Baron Alphonse de Rothschild was born
in Paris, Feb /, 1927. He was employed at
an early age by his father. Baron James Mayer
de Rothschild, In the management OF the
Chernln de Fer du Eord. In 1854 he became
head of the French house. and in the same
year was made one Of the governors OF tho
Bank OF France. In 1859 he became presi-
dent of the Central Consstory Of the 1sraelites
of France, TO which he had belonged a. early
as 1851 as delegate OF the Jewish community
of Bordeaux. When the Franco-Prussian
war ended disastrously for the French Be
public. Baron Alphonse became the head OF
the syndicate Of French bank ers which guar
anteed the payment Of the indemnity OF five
milllards OF francs by France to Germany. 1t
was especially through his ability that France
was enabled to pay the indemnity within .
very short time.
He was a great lover Of art and possessed
one OF the largest art collections Of Europe.
He has presented over 600 pictures to the
various museums of Paris. in 1895 he sue
ceeded Emile Perrin as honorary member Of
the Paris Academy of Fine Arts. The Cha
teau Of Ferrieres-en-B rie department of
Seine ct Marne, was mis- property. The Ger
man stan was Installed there at the COM
mencement of the siege Of Paris There.
also, jules Favre. on behalf OF the French
Government. conducted the unsuccessful
peace neg citations with Prince Bismarck.
The phlanthropio institutions founded and
subventioned by him are innumerable-'
Special mention deserves to be made Of the
10 900 900 francs fund given In 1904 by him
and his two brothers. Gustavo and Edmond.
to be employed In the erection Of inexpensive
dwelling houses and for the general further
anoe Of plans for ameliorating the condition
of the working classes, About fifteen years
was shot BY accident, By one Of hiso own guards.
In the right eye. which he subsequently lost.
and II was path etc sight to see the tall old
gentleman promenading the streets OF Paris
with his black bandage. In 1887 he married
Leonora. daughter of Baron Lionel Roths-
child Of London. who survives him His only
son and successor. Edouard. born Feb. ~.
1888, fought O duel during the excitement
caused by the Dreyfus affair
Very few people may be aware OF tho fact
that the old family mansion in Frankfort
on tho Main. which dates a. far back as
1910, at first bore the sign OF green shield
and that the great banker dynasty owes It's
present name to q whm Of sign painter.
The earliest notice Of q member Of the
family. given In tho burial records OF Frank
fort, is that OF Moses Rothschild. born In
April, $780, whose daughter Esther died In
1908. Members OF the same family are mem
toned at Worms In the seventeenth century
as rabbis. One Of these. Mendel Rothschi|d.
was for several years preacher at Prague.
then rabbi Of Barnberg. and finally rabbi Of
Worms for fourteen years.
Mayer Amschel founder Of the house
tborn at Frank fort-on-the- Main, l7+3. died
1872 was himself at one time destined for
the rabbnate and studied for that purpose
at the Talmudical Academy OF Forth. Bavaria.
His later relations with William TX. Land
grave OF Hesse- Cassel. and the origin, there
with connected. OF his great fortune. were
enveloped in legend either by ignorance or
sycophancy. The naked truth is as follows:
Mayer Amschel had become acqua inted
with the then Crown Prince in ITS. but he
does not seem to have done much business
with him till toward the end Of the next dec
ade He changed some English gold for him
In 1883, and in 1904 took as much as 6 80 900
worth but not alone. he having associated
with him no less than six other bullion brc-
kers of Frankfort 1t wasonly toward the end
OF 1903 that he had sufficient credit with the
Prince to undertake singlehanded any large
quantity of gold brokerage. From 1900 to
1900 the Landgrave placed with Rothschild
l,75o. 900 thaler. mostly at per cent. part OF
it to be invested in Frankfort town loans.
part in Danish loans. In 1901 he became the
Landgrave's court agent
Owing to Napoleons seizure OF Holland
in 1903, the leaders of the anti-Napoleonlc
league chose Frankfort as a financial center
wherefrom to obtain the sinews OF war. After
the battle Of Jena in 1906 the Landgrave OF
Hesso- Cassel fed to Denmark, where be had
already deposited much Of his wealth through
the agency of Mayer Amschel Rothschild.
leaving in the hands Of the latter specie and
works of art of the value of E60o. 600. Accord
ing to legend, these were hidden away In wine
casks and, escaping the search Of Napoleon's
soldiers when they entered Frankfort. were
restored intact in the same casks in 1914 when
tho Elector returned to his electorate. The
facts are somewhat less romantic and more
businesslke. Rothschild. so far from being
in danger, was on such good terms with Ma
poleons nominee. Prince DalberC. that be
had been made in 1910 a member of the Elec-
toral College OF Darmstadt. The Electors
money had been sent to Nathan in London.
who In 1908 utilized it to purchase Gsoo 900
worth of gold from the East India Company.
knowing that it would be needed for Yelling
toms Peninsular campaign.
While the early history OF the firm was
dominated by tho influence Of Nathan Mayer.
the head of the London firm. under the direc-
ton of whom and of his brothers not less
than forty five State loans. aggregating $685.
s&7, 200, were issued from 1877 to 1851 after
the year 1880 the youngest brother. James.
came to the front and the Paris house gained
that predominanoe in French finance which
1t retained throughout the nineteenth century.
for the greater part thanks to the financial
genius of the late Baron Alphonse.
An interesting incident in the financial his
tory OF the London branch is the decllnation
on the part of Baron Lionel to take up the
II