David René de Rothschild
Encyclopedia
David René James de Rothschild (david ʁəne ʒɛms də ʁɔtʃild) (born December 15, 1942 in New York City
, New York
) is a banker and a member of the French branch
of the Rothschild family
. He is the chairman of Rothschilds Continuation Holdings, a Swiss holding company (which is believed to be controlled by Concordia BV, another holding company, this time registered in Holland). He was formerly the chairman of De Beers
.
as a result of his parents having to escape the Nazis during the German occupation of France in World War II
. He is the son of Guy de Rothschild
(1909-2007) and his first wife and distant cousin, the former Baroness Alix Hermine Jeannette Schey de Koromla (1911-1982). While his mother remained in New York City throughout the war, his father went to England
where he joined the Free French Forces
. Following the liberation of France, the family returned to their home in Paris
. His parents eventually divorced and from his father's second marriage he has a half-brother, Edouard
.
In 1974, David de Rothschild married Olimpia Anna Aldobrandini (b. 1955) in Reux
, Calvados
. They have the following children:
The Rothschilds made their home in Normandy
at Château Reux on the seigneury
between the village of Reux and the small town of Pont-l'Évêque
where David de Rothschild served as town mayor for 18 years. About 125 miles north of Paris, the place is France's preeminent horse breeding
area and is close to Haras de Meautry
, the breeding farm run by his brother Edouard. He was named to the International Best Dressed List
Hall of Fame in 1991.
in Paris
from which he graduated in 1966. He began his business career at Société miniére et métallurgique de Peñarroya, one of the family's international mining businesses headquartered in Paris. He then began training in de Rothschild Frères bank.
and in 1967 de Rothschild Frères became Banque Rothschild, a limited-liability company. David de Rothschild's father was an aggressive businessman who strove to expand the bank and their investments in mining and oil exploration as chairman of Imetal S.A.. However, the family fortunes suffered a severe setback following the election to the French Presidency of the socialist government of François Mitterrand
in 1981. The new parliament
nationalized a number of large companies and banks including that of the Rothschild family. An angry and discouraged 72-year-old Guy de Rothschild left France for a time and settled in New York City where the family had existing but limited business activities.
, David de Rothschild said that after nationalisation it took until 1986, when the Socialists lost power, for Rothschild family members to get a new banking licence. In 1987 a successor company called Rothschild & Cie Banque
was created by David de Rothschild who was joined by his half-brother Edouard and cousin Eric de Rothschild. Capitalized at only $1 million and starting with just three employees, they soon built their tiny investment bank into a major competitor in France and continental Europe.
In 2003, following the retirement of Sir Evelyn Robert de Rothschild
as head of N M Rothschild & Sons
of London
, the English and French firms merged to become one umbrella entity called "Group Rothschild." Ownership was shared equally between the French and English branches of the family under the leadership of David de Rothschild. In 2007, the English branch sold their share to the French branch. The French branch now fully own N M Rothschild & Sons.
As of 2008, David de Rothschild holds the following corporate positions:
David de Rothschild also owns a share of the Château Lafite-Rothschild
vineyard but is not active in the day to day operations.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) is a banker and a member of the French branch
Rothschild banking family of France
The Rothschild banking family of France was founded in 1812 in Paris by James Mayer Rothschild . James was sent there from his home in Frankfurt, Germany by his father, Mayer Amschel Rothschild...
of the Rothschild family
Rothschild family
The Rothschild family , known as The House of Rothschild, or more simply as the Rothschilds, is a Jewish-German family that established European banking and finance houses starting in the late 18th century...
. He is the chairman of Rothschilds Continuation Holdings, a Swiss holding company (which is believed to be controlled by Concordia BV, another holding company, this time registered in Holland). He was formerly the chairman of De Beers
De Beers
De Beers is a family of companies that dominate the diamond, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea...
.
Early and personal life
David de Rothschild was born in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as a result of his parents having to escape the Nazis during the German occupation of France in World War II
German occupation of France in World War II
The Military Administration in France was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II. It remained in existence from May 1940 to December 1944. As a result of the defeat of France and its Allies in the Battle of France, the French cabinet sought a cessation...
. He is the son of Guy de Rothschild
Guy de Rothschild
Baron Guy Édouard Alphonse Paul de Rothschild was a French banker and member of the Rothschild family. He chaired the bank Rothschild Frères from 1967 to 1979, when it was nationalized by the French government, and maintained possessions in other French and foreign companies including Imerys...
(1909-2007) and his first wife and distant cousin, the former Baroness Alix Hermine Jeannette Schey de Koromla (1911-1982). While his mother remained in New York City throughout the war, his father went 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...
where he joined the Free French Forces
Free French Forces
The Free French Forces were French partisans in World War II who decided to continue fighting against the forces of the Axis powers after the surrender of France and subsequent German occupation and, in the case of Vichy France, collaboration with the Germans.-Definition:In many sources, Free...
. Following the liberation of France, the family returned to their home 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...
. His parents eventually divorced and from his father's second marriage he has a half-brother, Edouard
Edouard Etienne de Rothschild
Édouard Etienne Alphonse de Rothschild is a businessman and part of the French branch of the prominent Rothschild family. He is the son of Guy de Rothschild and Marie-Hélène van Zuylen van Nyevelt .-Background:Édouard de Rothschild studied law in France and in 1985 graduated with an M.B.A...
.
In 1974, David de Rothschild married Olimpia Anna Aldobrandini (b. 1955) in Reux
Reux
-External links:*...
, Calvados
Calvados
The French department of Calvados is part of the region of Basse-Normandie in Normandy. It takes its name from a cluster of rocks off the English Channel coast...
. They have the following children:
- Lavinia Anne Alix (b. 1976)
- Stéphanie Anne Marie (b. 1977) married (2005) Augustin de Buffévent
- Alexandre Guy Francesco (b. 1982) married (2009) Olivia Bordeaux-Groult
- Olimpia Linda de Rothschild (b. 1988) (adopted. 2000)
The Rothschilds made their home in Normandy
Basse-Normandie
Lower Normandy is an administrative region of France. It was created in 1956, when the Normandy region was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy...
at Château Reux on the seigneury
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
between the village of Reux and the small town of Pont-l'Évêque
Pont-l'Évêque, Calvados
Pont-l'Évêque is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France. It has given its name to a type of soft cheese .-Population:-Transport:* A13 autoroute* A132 autoroute...
where David de Rothschild served as town mayor for 18 years. About 125 miles north of Paris, the place is France's preeminent horse breeding
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
area and is close to Haras de Meautry
Haras de Meautry
Haras de Meautry in Touques, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France, is a thoroughbred horse breeding farm. It was acquired in the 19th century by horse-racing enthusiast Alphonse James de Rothschild who passed it down to his offspring so that today it is in the hands of Edouard Etienne de...
, the breeding farm run by his brother Edouard. He was named to the International Best Dressed List
International Best Dressed List
The International Best Dressed List was founded by fashionista Eleanor Lambert in 1940 as an attempt to boost the reputation of American fashion at the time.People who have been on the list include from A to Z:-The International Hall of Fame: Women:...
Hall of Fame in 1991.
Education and early career
Baron David de Rothschild was educated at Institut d'Études Politiques de ParisInstitut d'Études Politiques de Paris
The Institut d'études politiques de Paris , simply referred to as Sciences Po , is a public research and higher education institution in Paris, France, specialised in the social sciences. It has the status of grand établissement, which allows its admissions process to be highly selective...
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...
from which he graduated in 1966. He began his business career at Société miniére et métallurgique de Peñarroya, one of the family's international mining businesses headquartered in Paris. He then began training in de Rothschild Frères bank.
French nationalisation
French government reform of banking regulations ended the legal distinction between banques d'affaires and deposit banksCommercial bank
After the implementation of the Glass–Steagall Act, the U.S. Congress required that banks engage only in banking activities, whereas investment banks were limited to capital market activities. As the two no longer have to be under separate ownership under U.S...
and in 1967 de Rothschild Frères became Banque Rothschild, a limited-liability company. David de Rothschild's father was an aggressive businessman who strove to expand the bank and their investments in mining and oil exploration as chairman of Imetal S.A.. However, the family fortunes suffered a severe setback following the election to the French Presidency of the socialist government of François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
in 1981. The new parliament
Government of France
The government of the French Republic is a semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic. The nation declares itself to be an "indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic"...
nationalized a number of large companies and banks including that of the Rothschild family. An angry and discouraged 72-year-old Guy de Rothschild left France for a time and settled in New York City where the family had existing but limited business activities.
Later career
In an October 18, 2003 interview with George Trefgarne published in the The SpectatorThe Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
, David de Rothschild said that after nationalisation it took until 1986, when the Socialists lost power, for Rothschild family members to get a new banking licence. In 1987 a successor company called Rothschild & Cie Banque
Rothschild & Cie Banque
Rothschild & Cie Banque is a French bank and belongs to Rothschild Group. It provides investment banking, asset management, and wealth management services in France....
was created by David de Rothschild who was joined by his half-brother Edouard and cousin Eric de Rothschild. Capitalized at only $1 million and starting with just three employees, they soon built their tiny investment bank into a major competitor in France and continental Europe.
In 2003, following the retirement of Sir Evelyn Robert de Rothschild
Evelyn Robert de Rothschild
Sir Evelyn Robert Adrian de Rothschild is a British financier, and a member of the Rothschild family.-Early life:The son of Anthony Gustav de Rothschild and Yvonne Cahen d'Anvers , he was named after his uncle Evelyn Achille de Rothschild who was killed in action in World War I...
as head of N M Rothschild & Sons
N M Rothschild & Sons
N M Rothschild & Sons is a private investment banking company, belonging to the Rothschild family...
of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the English and French firms merged to become one umbrella entity called "Group Rothschild." Ownership was shared equally between the French and English branches of the family under the leadership of David de Rothschild. In 2007, the English branch sold their share to the French branch. The French branch now fully own N M Rothschild & Sons.
As of 2008, David de Rothschild holds the following corporate positions:
- Chairman of N M Rothschild & SonsN M Rothschild & SonsN M Rothschild & Sons is a private investment banking company, belonging to the Rothschild family...
- Chairman of Rothschilds Continuation Holdings
- Vice Chairman of Rothschild Bank AG
- Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Paris OrleansParis OrléansParis Orléans S.A. is a financial holding company listed on Euronext Paris and controlled by the French and English branch of the Rothschild family...
- Senior Partner of Rothschild & Cie BanqueRothschild & Cie BanqueRothschild & Cie Banque is a French bank and belongs to Rothschild Group. It provides investment banking, asset management, and wealth management services in France....
- Member of the Supervisory Board of Compagnie Financiere Saint-Honore
- Member of the Supervisory Board of Compagnie Financiere Martin Maurel
- Member of the Supervisory Board of De Beers Group
- Member of the Supervisory Board of Groupe CasinoGroupe CasinoGroupe Casino is a large French multinational corporation, formerly part of the CAC 40 index, whose main business is with retail and distribution in hyper and supermarkets. The company's head office is in Saint-Étienne....
David de Rothschild also owns a share of the Château Lafite-Rothschild
Château Lafite-Rothschild
Château Lafite Rothschild is a wine estate in France, owned by members of the Rothschild family since the 19th century. The name Lafite comes from the Gascon term "la hite" meaning "small hill"....
vineyard but is not active in the day to day operations.