Eugen Landau (March 17, 1852 – February 20, 1935) was a German Jewish banker and philanthropist.

Life

Landau was born in Breslau,

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

on March 17, 1852. His father Jacob Landau owned a Berlin bank that was one of the largest banks in Germany in the late 19th century. Landau studied law and economics at the

University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

and the

University of Bern The University of Bern (, , ) is a public university, public research university in the Switzerland, Swiss capital of Bern. It was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the canton of Bern. It is a comprehensive university offering a br ...

, after which he joined his father's business. In 1879, he founded a Silesian railway company. He then participated in the organization of important industrial concerns, including the mining company Königs- und Laurahütte, the Schultheiss-Patzenhofer Brauerei (the largest brewery in Germany), and the electrical company AEG (which was directed by Emil Rathenau and Walther Rathenau). As a partner in his father's banking firm, he established close connections with city authorities in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and made the bank one of the principal agents in arranging loans to Berlin for its development. He also played a large part the establishment of the National Bank fuer Deutschland and its mergers with Breslau Disconto-Bank and the Bayerische Bank. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he served as a major in Germany's ''

Landwehr ''Landwehr'' (), or ''Landeswehr'', is a German language term used in referring to certain national army, armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large-scale, low-strength fo ...

'' (Territorial Reserve), the highest rank a non-converted Jew reached until then. He served as an honorary consul-general in Berlin, and he used that position to strengthen relations between Spain and Germany. Landau was deeply involved in Jewish affairs and philanthropies, subsidizing various Jewish institutions in Berlin. He was a director of the orphan asylum Baruch Auerbach'sches Waisenhaus and vice-president of the German Pro-Palästina Committee and the Keren Hayesod in Germany, which he was a founder of. He also supported the Juedische Altershilfe, aid for the aged. He founded the Hilfsverein der Deutschen Juden with Dr. Paul Nathan and James Simon, and served as its first president until he retired to focus on his growing business interests. He remained the organization's first Vice-President. In 1899, Emperor

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...

decorated Landau with the Order of the Crown, Third Class. On his 80th birthday, the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce awarded him their Gold Medal, their highest distinction, for his service to German industry and commerce. His wife was a daughter of City Councillor Magnus. His stepsons were Dr. Walter Sobernheim, Dr. Kurt Sobernheim, and Professor Dr. Moritz Sobernheim, who were all active workers in Jewish public affairs in Germany. Landau died in Berlin on February 20, 1935. He was buried in the Jewish cemetery on Schönhauser Allee.

References

1852 births 1935 deaths Businesspeople from Wrocław Businesspeople from Berlin 19th-century German Jews German Jewish military personnel of World War I Silesian Jews German bankers German philanthropists German Zionists {{DEFAULTSORT:Landau, Eugen 20th-century German diplomats Consuls