Luther Kountze
Encyclopedia
Luther Kountze was an American
banker, responsible for helping the city of Denver, Colorado
in a time of need and leaving a philanthropic legacy in Morristown, New Jersey
. He founded a late-19th century national banking dynasty along with his brothers Charles, Herman
and Augustus
.
, which was operated by his brothers Augustus and Herman. Late in 1862 he went to Denver, Colorado, where he opened a bank under the name of Kountze Brothers and listed his brothers as senior members. In 1866 they organized the Colorado National Bank of Denver.
After a great fire engulfed much of the city in 1867, Kountze was credited with saving the city of Denver, Colorado
from financial disaster, and ultimately, oblivion. Late that year and into the next Kountze worked with several other investors to form the company that would eventually become the Denver Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Co.
Luther left Colorado for New York in 1867. In 1868 he established the Kountze Brothers Bank at 52 Wall Street in Manhattan
. His brother Augustus later joined him there, where they traded securities and bonds. In 1908, US Senator Robert LaFollette, Sr. included him in the "100 men who controlled banking." He was then vice-president and a director of the United States Mortgage and Trust Company.
In 1881 Luther moved to Morristown, New Jersey
and built an English-style estate. He died in 1918, leaving an estate valued at $4,973,950.
. He contributed a large part of the land that now forms the National Jockey Hollow
Park in Morristown, NJ.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
banker, responsible for helping the city of Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
in a time of need and leaving a philanthropic legacy in Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
. He founded a late-19th century national banking dynasty along with his brothers Charles, Herman
Herman Kountze
Herman Kountze was a powerful and influential pioneer banker in Omaha, Nebraska in the late 19th century. After organizing the Kountze Brothers Bank in 1857 as the second bank in Omaha, Herman and his brothers Augustus, Charles and Luther changed the charter in 1863, opening the First National...
and Augustus
Augustus Kountze
Augustus Kountze was a pioneer banker, politician, philanthropist and railroad supporter in Omaha, Nebraska, Kountze, Texas and New York City...
.
About
From 1858 to 1862 Luther worked at the Kountze Brothers Bank in Omaha, NebraskaOmaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, which was operated by his brothers Augustus and Herman. Late in 1862 he went to Denver, Colorado, where he opened a bank under the name of Kountze Brothers and listed his brothers as senior members. In 1866 they organized the Colorado National Bank of Denver.
After a great fire engulfed much of the city in 1867, Kountze was credited with saving the city of Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
from financial disaster, and ultimately, oblivion. Late that year and into the next Kountze worked with several other investors to form the company that would eventually become the Denver Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Co.
Denver Pacific Railway
The Denver Pacific Railway was a historic railroad that operated in the western United States during the late 19th century.Formed in 1867 in the Colorado Territory, the company operated lines in Colorado and present-day southeastern Wyoming in the 1870s until merging with the Kansas Pacific and...
Luther left Colorado for New York in 1867. In 1868 he established the Kountze Brothers Bank at 52 Wall Street in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. His brother Augustus later joined him there, where they traded securities and bonds. In 1908, US Senator Robert LaFollette, Sr. included him in the "100 men who controlled banking." He was then vice-president and a director of the United States Mortgage and Trust Company.
In 1881 Luther moved to Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
and built an English-style estate. He died in 1918, leaving an estate valued at $4,973,950.
Philanthropy
Kountze was one of the founders of the Metropolitan Opera House CompanyMetropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
. He contributed a large part of the land that now forms the National Jockey Hollow
Jockey Hollow
Jockey Hollow is a unit of Morristown National Historical Park in New Jersey. It was twice used as a winter encampment by the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.-History:...
Park in Morristown, NJ.