Carl Siebold (Finance Councilor)

Carl Wilhelm Conrad Siebold (born August 30, 1824 in Bremen , † January 21, 1907 in Ahrweiler ) was a German secret finance advisor and financial advisor .

Life

Siebold was the son of the Braunschweig entrepreneur Johann Carl Joseph Siebold (baptized 1799; † 1839) and Anna Caroline b. von Breton (1800–1849), the daughter of the Oldenburg watchmaker Johann Emanuel von Breton (1764–1808). The father first ran the production of artificial flowers in Bremen from 1823, then from 1825 in Westerstede and finally from 1829 in Oldenburg .

Siebold attended the local elementary school and then the lower classes of the old grammar school . After his confirmation, he started a commercial apprenticeship in Butjadingen , but broke it off after his father's death to become a soldier. Thereupon he entered the Oldenburg military service on October 27, 1840, became a non-commissioned officer in 1841 and, in 1843, 2nd class staff officer in the Oldenburg 2nd infantry regiment. The commander of this association was Colonel Johann Ludwig Mosle . This recognized Siebold's talent for finance and promoted him accordingly. After completing his service, in 1847 he became economic manager of the Oldenburg casino company founded in 1785 . When Mosle was appointed envoy in the Bundestag of the German Confederation for the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg in 1848 , Siebold was given the post of chancellery and secretary at the Oldenburg parliamentary delegation in Frankfurt am Main on his recommendation . He held this post until November 1866.

Siebold used his time in Frankfurt intensively to acquire a thorough knowledge of general finance and also in the field of money and banking through self-study . Furthermore, he made various contacts with numerous Frankfurt banks, in particular with the private banking house Erlanger & Söhne , which had brought a number of Oldenburg government bonds on the money market. He succeeded in creating a respected position as a competent financial advisor in the Frankfurt financial world in a relatively short period of time and thus also found a financial livelihood. When the Oldenburg parliamentary delegation was dissolved in 1866, Siebold waived his pension entitlements and was only given the title of Finance Councilor (6th grade), which was useful for him socially and professionally.

Siebold also stayed in touch with Oldenburg while he was working in Frankfurt. In order to satisfy the Grand Duchy's need for money, which was particularly increased by the construction of the railway , in 1865 he proposed to the Oldenburg government the establishment of an efficient bank with the right to issue banknotes . On behalf of the Ministry of State and with the support of the Erlanger Bank, he subsequently worked out the details of the founding contract and helped to overcome the resistance of the trade and commerce association of 1840, the forerunner of the Oldenburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the city of Oldenburg's economic circles. On January 15, 1869, the Oldenburgische Landesbank began operations. Siebold became a member of the supervisory board, to which he belonged until 1907 and in which he exercised a significant influence, especially in the first few years.

From 1867 Siebold was also involved in financing the railway lines in the Grand Duchy. On behalf of the Oldenburg government, he initially conducted negotiations with the Erlanger bank about the placement of another large government bond for the construction of the Oldenburg – Leer railway line , which he was able to successfully complete in 1867. The line was opened in 1869. In the 1870s he was involved in the procurement of the capital for the Westerstede-Ocholt railway line and also made his own funds available.

From 1869 he made his English contacts available to the Oldenburg government and arranged the recruitment of English technicians and machines for the continuation of the Hunte-Ems Canal, which was already under construction from 1855 .

Siebold recognized the importance of infrastructure projects such as railways and waterways at an early stage and, as a recognized authority on financial issues, played an important role in numerous companies as an advisor and broker for banks. Among other things, he was a member of the supervisory board of Hessische Landesbank , Frankfurter Lokalbahn AG, Elektrizitätswerk Homburg , Crefelder Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft , Hagener Gußstahlwerke, Düsseldorf-Ratinger Röhrenkesselfabrik , Armaturen- und Maschinenfabrik Nürnberg and Bergbau-AG Friedrichssegen . He has received several awards for his services, for example the Oldenburg government awarded him the title of Secret Finance Council in 1871, the Knight of Honor's Cross in 1891 and the Officer's Cross of the Oldenburg House and Merit Order in 1905 .

Siebold suffered from a protracted and apparently incurable sore throat. He ended his own life on January 21, 1907.

family

Siebold was married twice. On April 3, 1849, he married Sarah Maria MacNeill (1822–1869), who came from Edinburgh , in Frankfurt . After her death, he married Elizabeth Sophie Knox (1838–1922), the daughter of the landowner Charles Knox (1783–1874) and Elizabeth, born on June 10, 1875, in London . Knox (1801-1869). The first marriage remained childless, and the second marriage had four sons.

literature

• Hans Friedl: Siebold, Carl Wilhelm Conrad. In: Hans Friedl u. a. (Ed.): Biographical manual for the history of the state of Oldenburg . Edited on behalf of the Oldenburg landscape. Isensee, Oldenburg 1992, ISBN 3-89442-135-5 , p. 670 f. ( online ).