Hermann de Stern, Baron de Stern (1815–1887) was a German-born British banker and senior partner of the firm of Stern Brothers.[1]

Hermann de Stern
Born1815
DiedOctober 20, 1887(1887-10-20) (aged 71–72)
OccupationBanker
SpouseJulia Goldsmid
ChildrenHerbert Stern, 1st Baron Michelham
RelativesDavid de Stern (brother)
Sydney Stern, 1st Baron Wandsworth (nephew)
David Lionel Goldsmid-Stern-Salomons (son-in-law)

Early life and career edit

Stern was born in 1815 in Frankfurt am Main, Grand Duchy of Frankfurt, to the prominent Stern banking family.[1] He moved to London in 1844 to join his brother David.

Together, they co-founded Stern Brothers, a financial institution based in London. According to The Jewish Encyclopedia, "Baron de Stern was principally connected with Portuguese finance, but he was prominently concerned also in floating the Danubian 7-per-cent loan of 1864, the Spanish mortgage loan, and the Italian tobacco-monopoly loan."[1]

Stern served on the board of directors of the Imperial Bank, the Bank of Rumania, the London and San Francisco Bank, and the East London Waterworks Company.[1] He also served on the board of directors of the London Banking Association.[2]

In 1869, Stern received the Portuguese noble title of barão (baron) from King Luís I of Portugal.[1]

Personal life edit

Stern married Julia Goldsmid, daughter of Aaron Asher Goldsmid, brother of Sir Isaac Goldsmid. Their son was Herbert Stern, 1st Baron Michelham.

From 1883 to 1887, Stern was the owner of Strawberry Hill House in Twickenham, but he never lived there.[3] He was associated with the Anglo-Jewish Association and the Jews' Free School.[1]

Stern died in London on 20 October 1887[1] and was buried at Balls Pond Road Cemetery.[4] One of the wealthiest men of his time, he left an estate of £3,544,978 (equivalent to £0.41 billion in 2019[5]).[6]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g   Goodman Lipkind, Joseph Jacobs (1901–1906). "Stern, Hermann, Baron de". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
  2. ^ Cottrell, Phillip (2002). Investment Banking in England 1856–1881. Vol. 2. London: Routledge. p. 495. ISBN 9780415530217. OCLC 838913141.
  3. ^ "HERMANN DE STERN 1883-1887". Architectural Conservation Laboratory. University of Pennsylvania School of Design. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  4. ^ "The Unexpected past of Strawberry Hill House: Herbert Stern 1st Baron Michelham (1851–1919) and the Stern Family: A German dynasty of bankers". Strawberry Hill House. 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  5. ^ United Kingdom Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth "consistent series" supplied in Thomas, Ryland; Williamson, Samuel H. (2018). "What Was the U.K. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  6. ^ Rubinstein, William (2001). "Jewish top wealth-holders in Britain, 1809–1909". Jewish Historical Studies. 37: 135. JSTOR 29780032.