Alfred Freiherr von Oppenheim
Encyclopedia
Alfred Paul Ernst Freiherr von Oppenheim known in America as Alfred Oppenheim (May 5, 1934 – January 5, 2005) was a German
billionaire and banker.
Born in Cologne
, Germany
, Oppenheim was a descendant of Salomon Oppenheim
, who founded the Credit Institute in Bonn
and moved to Cologne in 1798. He studied at Amherst
and Harvard until 1960. In 1964, he became a senior partner of Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. KGaA, and in 1978 he took over leadership of the board. From 1993 he was a member of the shareholders' committee and the governing body of the bank.
Oppenheim was also Vice-President of the German Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag) and President of the Franco-German Chamber of Commerce in Paris
. He also served as president of the German Council on Foreign Relations Berlin
. He founded the Alfred Freiherr von Oppenheim Foundation for Scientific Research.
On October 10, 1996, Yad Vashem, Israel, decided to recognize Baron Alfred von Oppenheim's father Baron Friedrich Carl von Oppenheim (posthumously) as Righteous Among the Nations.
On 14 October 2004 he was awarded the North Rhine-Westphalia
Decoration of Honour. He was a fellow of the University of Cologne, holder of the Federal Cross of Merit First Class of the Federal Republic of Germany. In 2003, he was awarded the Croix de Commandeur from the French Legion of Honour for encouraging and deepening political and cultural ties between Germany and France.
In 1962 he married his wife Baronness Jeanne von Oppenheim, with whom he had three children. Oppenheim and his wife owned one of the largest private collections of world photography and donated it to an American Museum. Oppenheim died in January 2005 following a short but serious illness.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
billionaire and banker.
Born in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Oppenheim was a descendant of Salomon Oppenheim
Salomon Oppenheim
Salomon Oppenheim, Jr. was a German Jewish banker, the founder of the Sal. Oppenheim company.He was born in Bonn, the scion of an illustrious family of "Court Jews" who had served as advisers and moneylenders to the Prince-Archbishops of Cologne in the Rhineland area for several generations...
, who founded the Credit Institute in Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
and moved to Cologne in 1798. He studied at Amherst
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
and Harvard until 1960. In 1964, he became a senior partner of Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. KGaA, and in 1978 he took over leadership of the board. From 1993 he was a member of the shareholders' committee and the governing body of the bank.
Oppenheim was also Vice-President of the German Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag) and President of the Franco-German Chamber of Commerce in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He also served as president of the German Council on Foreign Relations Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He founded the Alfred Freiherr von Oppenheim Foundation for Scientific Research.
On October 10, 1996, Yad Vashem, Israel, decided to recognize Baron Alfred von Oppenheim's father Baron Friedrich Carl von Oppenheim (posthumously) as Righteous Among the Nations.
On 14 October 2004 he was awarded the North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
Decoration of Honour. He was a fellow of the University of Cologne, holder of the Federal Cross of Merit First Class of the Federal Republic of Germany. In 2003, he was awarded the Croix de Commandeur from the French Legion of Honour for encouraging and deepening political and cultural ties between Germany and France.
In 1962 he married his wife Baronness Jeanne von Oppenheim, with whom he had three children. Oppenheim and his wife owned one of the largest private collections of world photography and donated it to an American Museum. Oppenheim died in January 2005 following a short but serious illness.