Péreire brothers
Encyclopedia
The Péreire brothers were prominent 19th century financiers in Paris
, France
who were rivals of the Rothschilds
. Like the Rothschilds, they were Jews
, but unlike them the Péreire brothers were Sephardi Jews of Portuguese origin
.
Émile (1800–1875) and his brother Isaac Péreire (1806–1880) founded a business conglomerate
that included creating the Crédit Mobilier
bank. They also had large investments in a transatlantic steamship line
, railways, insurance
, gas lighting
, a newspaper and the Paris public transit
system.
Eugène Péreire (1831–1908), son of Isaac, joined the enterprise and took over the running of the business empire on his father's death. He was the founder, in 1881, of the Banque Transatlantique
, which still operates today and is one of the oldest private bank
s in France. In 1909, Eugène's granddaughter Noémie Halphen married banking competitor, Maurice de Rothschild.
Jacob Rodrigues Pereira
, one of the inventors of manual language for the deaf, was their grandfather. He was born in Portugal
and established himself in France in 1741, where he became an interpreter for King Louis XV
.
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...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
who were rivals of the Rothschilds
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...
. Like the Rothschilds, they were Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, but unlike them the Péreire brothers were Sephardi Jews of Portuguese origin
Spanish and Portuguese Jews
Spanish and Portuguese Jews are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardim who have their main ethnic origins within the Jewish communities of the Iberian peninsula and who shaped communities mainly in Western Europe and the Americas from the late 16th century on...
.
Émile (1800–1875) and his brother Isaac Péreire (1806–1880) founded a business conglomerate
Conglomerate (company)
A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...
that included creating the Crédit Mobilier
Crédit Mobilier
Crédit Mobilier was a French banking company, and one of the most important financial institutions of the world during the 19th century. It had a major role in the financing of numerous railroads and other infrastructure projects in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East by mobilizing the savings...
bank. They also had large investments in a transatlantic steamship line
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
, railways, insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
, gas lighting
Gas lighting
Gas lighting is production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, including hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, or natural gas. Before electricity became sufficiently widespread and economical to allow for general public use, gas was the most...
, a newspaper and the Paris public transit
Paris Métro
The Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit metro system in Paris, France. It has become a symbol of the city, noted for its density within the city limits and its uniform architecture influenced by Art Nouveau. The network's sixteen lines are mostly underground and run to 214 km ...
system.
Eugène Péreire (1831–1908), son of Isaac, joined the enterprise and took over the running of the business empire on his father's death. He was the founder, in 1881, of the Banque Transatlantique
Banque Transatlantique
Banque Transatlantique is one of France's oldest private banks. It is unusual among private banks in having a strong focus on serving expatriates, diplomats and international civil servants apart from being the wealth management arm of its parent group...
, which still operates today and is one of the oldest private bank
Private bank
Private banks are banks that are not incorporated. A private bank is owned by either an individual or a general partner with limited partner...
s in France. In 1909, Eugène's granddaughter Noémie Halphen married banking competitor, Maurice de Rothschild.
Jacob Rodrigues Pereira
Jacob Rodrigues Pereira
Jacob Rodrigues Pereira or Jacob Rodrigue Péreire was an academic and the first teacher of deaf-mutes in France....
, one of the inventors of manual language for the deaf, was their grandfather. He was born in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and established himself in France in 1741, where he became an interpreter for King Louis XV
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
.
See also
- Pereire (Paris Métro)Pereire (Paris Metro)-History:Pereire was opened on 23 May 1910 when the line was extended from Villiers. The station is named after the Boulevard Pereire and the Place du Maréchal Juin. The Péreire brothers, Émile Péreire and his brother Isaac , created the Crédit Immobilier bank in 1852. They established railroad...
, a Métro station named after the brothers - Crédit Mobilier of America scandalCrédit Mobilier of America scandalThe Crédit Mobilier scandal of 1872 involved the Union Pacific Railroad and the Crédit Mobilier of America construction company in the building of the First Transcontinental Railroad. The distribution of Crédit Mobilier shares of stock by Congressman Oakes Ames along with cash bribes to...
- Second French EmpireSecond French EmpireThe Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
- Jewish Encyclopedia, with detailed biography