Rudolf Sulzbach

Rudolf Sulzbach (born April 9, 1827 in Frankfurt am Main ; † January 23, 1904 there ) was a German banker and patron .

Life

Rudolf Sulzbach was born as the youngest son of Abraham Sulzbach and his wife Sara Beyfuss in Frankfurt am Main in 1827. His original first name was Ruben. He did not adopt the first name Rudolf until 1864. After school he did a commercial apprenticeship with his father. In 1853 Rudolf received citizenship of the Free City of Frankfurt upon application . In February 1856, Rudolf Sulzbach was a co-founder of the Mitteldeutsche Creditbank . This bank was set up at the instigation of Bernhard II von Sachsen-Meiningen . It should advance the industrialization of the state of Saxony-Meiningen and raise funds for important infrastructure projects. Rudolf Sulzbach became the second chairman of the bank.

On April 5, 1856, Rudolf and his brother Siegmund Sulzbach, 14 years older, founded the private bank S. Sulzbach in Frankfurt am Main. The bank was named after the firstborn's first name. However, the real soul of the bank was Rudolf Sulzbach. In the decades that followed, the bank became one of the most influential banks and was particularly committed to the financing of new industries ( electrical engineering , chemicals ) and transport infrastructure measures at home and abroad .

In the 1860s and 1870s Rudolf Sulzbach was one of the initiators of the founding of numerous banks and institutes (e.g. in 1862: the Deutsche Hypothekenbank Meiningen , 1871: the Süddeutsche Immobiliengesellschaft in Mainz ). In 1870 he was also one of the initiators of the founding of Deutsche Bank . From 1870 until his death he was a member of the board of directors and the supervisory board of Deutsche Bank.

In 1872 he became a member of the Frankfurt Chamber of Commerce . He remained their member until December 31, 1903, when he left for health reasons.

In 1882 Rudolf Sulzbach and Jacob Landau from Berlin made the necessary capital available for Emil Rathenau and his German Edison Society so that they could acquire the necessary license rights from Thomas Alva Edison . Sulzbach then became chairman of the DEG's supervisory board in 1883. He was a member of the AEG supervisory board from its establishment until 1904.

In the 1890s, Rudolf Sulzbach participated in the financing of numerous companies that were founded by AEG . In addition, Rudolf Sulzbach was involved in the founding of Aluminum Industrie AG Neuhausen (today: Alusuisse ) and the financing of private transport companies in Frankfurt am Main, Cologne, Braunschweig and Graz in 1888 .

In 1892/93 he was an expert on the stock exchange enquetekommission (banking) in the Reichstag .

Rudolf Sulzbach died in Frankfurt am Main in January 1904 at the age of almost 73. Rudolf Sulzbach was married to Theodora Bass from Frankfurt since 1854. The children Emil Sulzbach and Karl Sulzbach emerged from the marriage .

Honors

• 1903: A few weeks before his death, Rudolf Sulzbach was made an honorary member of the Frankfurt Chamber of Commerce.

He refused to be raised to the nobility.

Rudolf Sulzbach Foundation

After the death of Rudolf Sulzbach, the Rudolf Sulzbach Foundation of the Frankfurt Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1904 by his sons Emil and Karl Sulzbach with a capital of 100,000 marks. The purpose of this foundation was to support and train talented young people and former visitors to the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in need. The foundation was dissolved in 1941. The remaining assets were transferred to the anniversary foundation of the Chamber of Commerce.

literature

• Franz Lerner: Existence in change demonstrated by the hundred-year history of the Frankfurt private bank Heinrich Kirchholtes & Co. vorm. Sulzbach brothers 1856–1956. Frankfurt am Main 1956.
• Hans-Dietrich Kirchholtes: Jewish private banks in Frankfurt am Main. Frankfurt 1969, pp. 29-32.