Therese Schwartze - Abraham Carel Wertheim

Abraham Carel Wertheim, also known as A.C. Wertheim (Amsterdam, 12 December 1832 – Amsterdam, 30 November 1897) was a banker, politician, and philanthropist from

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, the Netherlands. Born into a family of emancipated and enlightened Dutch Jews, he developed his banking and investment skills at Wertheim & Gompertz, an investment firm founded by his uncle Johannes Wertheim. He was subsequently apprentice at prominent banker Julius Königswärter, who introduced him into cultural salons in Amsterdam. Upon his marriage to his cousin Rosalie Marie Wertheim he became a partner in Wertheim & Gompertz. This bank, together with a number of other firms, played a significant role in financing the building of new railroads in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. He was a patron of amateur drama in Amsterdam, and stimulated the development of the (later Royal) Dutch National Theatre Company (''Vereeniging Het Nederlandsch Tooneel''), soon the only major theatre company in the city. It played at the

Municipal Theatre A municipal theatre is a theatre that is public sector, publicly owned. By contrast with a state theatre, such as the ''Landesbühnen'' of Germany and Austria, a municipal theatre is not financed by the state, but by the town or city in which it is ...

and the ''Grand Théatre''. Wertheim was intimately involved in the rebuilding of the Municipal Theatre on the

Leidseplein Leidseplein (English: Leiden Square) is a square in central Amsterdam, Netherlands. It lies in the Weteringschans neighborhood ( Centrum borough), immediately northeast of the Singelgracht. It is located on the crossroads of the Weteringschans ...

square after it burnt down in 1890. He was a

mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a worker who lays bricks to assist in brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutti ...

. He was involved in a large number of Jewish communal organisations in Amsterdam, including being the president of the Jewish community. While he was not observant himself, he did not advocate reform and considered

Orthodoxy Orthodoxy () is adherence to a purported "correct" or otherwise mainstream- or classically-accepted creed, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical co ...

the only representative movement within Judaism. As a liberal politician he was a member of the

States-Provincial The provincial council (, PS), also known as the States-Provincial, is the provincial parliament and legislative assembly in each of the provinces of the Netherlands. It is elected for each province simultaneously once every four years and has ...

for

North Holland North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...

(1866-1886) and from 1886 until his death of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. He was a Knight of the

Order of the Netherlands Lion The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands (, ) is a Dutch honours system, Dutch order of chivalry founded by William I of the Netherlands on 29 September 1815. The Order of the Netherlands Lion wa ...

. He is commemorated in the Wertheimpark in Amsterdam East, which contains a monument dedicated to him. He had eight children, of whom three died in childhood. His brother-in-law was Barend Joseph Stokvis. His nephew was pedagogist Philip Kohnstamm, and his grandchildren were composer

Rosy Wertheim Rosy Wertheim (19 February 1888 – 27 May 1949) was a Dutch pianist, music educator and composer. Biography Rosalie Marie Wertheim was born in Amsterdam to parents John and Adriana Rosa Gustaaf Wertheim Enthoven. Her father was a banker and Rosa ...

and sculptor Jobs Wertheim.

References

External links

Family Archive
held by the Amsterdam City Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Wertheim, Abraham Carel 1832 births 1897 deaths Dutch bankers Dutch Freemasons Dutch philanthropists Jewish Dutch politicians Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Liberal Union (Netherlands) politicians Members of the Provincial Council of North Holland Members of the Senate (Netherlands) Businesspeople from Amsterdam 19th-century philanthropists