Adolphe Boissevain
Encyclopedia
Athanase Adolphe Henri Boissevain (8 March 1843, Amsterdam
- 1 April 1921, Bussum
) was a Dutch
banker, who founded the banking company Adolphe Boissevain & Co in 1875, with the help of an American partner. This firm was active in two fields: the introduction of American securities on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange
and securities arbitrage between Amsterdam, New York and London. In 1888, in order to improve his position, he founded (in cooperation with his American partners, the Blake Brothers) the London-based company Blake, Boissevain & Co. Together the three companies were a strong alliance in the 3 main financial centers. Adolphe‘s first assistant in the securities arbitrage business was J.L. Pierson who later became partner in the company. A few years after Adolphe retired the name of the firm was changed to Pierson & Co., predecessor of the present well-known investment bank MeesPierson.
. Along this line is situated, in Manitoba, the town of Boissevain, Manitoba
, named after Adolphe and carrying the family coat of arms. In Virginia, too, there is a small town Boissevain also named after Adolphe because of his involvement in financing the Norfolk & Western Railways.
). During 18 years he was a member of the board of directors. Later on his London firm Blake, Boissevain & Co was sold to this bank. Of course Adolphe traveled a lot. He often took the Friday night boat from Harwich to Hoek van Holland, stayed a week-end in his country estate Prins Hendriksoord in the Netherlands and on Sunday he took the night boat back to England
.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
- 1 April 1921, Bussum
Bussum
Bussum is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.-History:Bussum was first mentioned in 1306. In this time, Bussum was a large heathland with many small farms, sheep pens and forests as is shown on old maps. Since Bussum is situated near the fortified town...
) was a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
banker, who founded the banking company Adolphe Boissevain & Co in 1875, with the help of an American partner. This firm was active in two fields: the introduction of American securities on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange
Amsterdam Stock Exchange
The Amsterdam Stock Exchange is the former name for the stock exchange based in Amsterdam. It merged on 22 September 2000 with the Brussels Stock Exchange and the Paris Stock Exchange to form Euronext, and is now known as Euronext Amsterdam.-History:...
and securities arbitrage between Amsterdam, New York and London. In 1888, in order to improve his position, he founded (in cooperation with his American partners, the Blake Brothers) the London-based company Blake, Boissevain & Co. Together the three companies were a strong alliance in the 3 main financial centers. Adolphe‘s first assistant in the securities arbitrage business was J.L. Pierson who later became partner in the company. A few years after Adolphe retired the name of the firm was changed to Pierson & Co., predecessor of the present well-known investment bank MeesPierson.
Transatlantic
Adolphe‘s business became, beside purely Dutch, ever more transatlantic. In the U.S. he acquired an outstanding reputation in financing companies, particularly railway companies, e.g. the trans Canadian Pacific RailwaysCanadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
. Along this line is situated, in Manitoba, the town of Boissevain, Manitoba
Boissevain, Manitoba
Boissevain is a town in Manitoba near the North Dakota border. It is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Morton. It is notable for its proximity to the International Peace Garden, a short drive south on Highway 10. The town also displays a number of wall murals as a tourist attraction...
, named after Adolphe and carrying the family coat of arms. In Virginia, too, there is a small town Boissevain also named after Adolphe because of his involvement in financing the Norfolk & Western Railways.
Europe
Adolphe was also active in other European countries. In 1887 he was cofounder of one of the largest international banks in Switzerland the Schweizerischer Bankverein (now UBSUBS AG
UBS AG is a Swiss global financial services company headquartered in Basel and Zürich, Switzerland, which provides investment banking, asset management, and wealth management services for private, corporate, and institutional clients worldwide, as well as retail clients in Switzerland...
). During 18 years he was a member of the board of directors. Later on his London firm Blake, Boissevain & Co was sold to this bank. Of course Adolphe traveled a lot. He often took the Friday night boat from Harwich to Hoek van Holland, stayed a week-end in his country estate Prins Hendriksoord in the Netherlands and on Sunday he took the night boat back to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.