Samuel "Sami" David Alexander (13 July 1862 – 8 March 1943) was a Croatian

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

industrialist, doyen of Croatian industrialists, a philanthropist and a member of the

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

prominent Alexander family.

Background and family

Alexander, known as ''Der Gescheite'' (The Smart One), was born in Zagreb to a Jewish family. His father, Jonas Alexander, was a merchant who came to Zagreb from

Güssing Güssing (; , ) is a town in Burgenland, Austria. It is located at , with a population of 3,610 (2023), and is the administrative center of the Güssing (district), Güssing district. For centuries the town occupied an important position on the we ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and his mother Roza (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Stern) was from an old influential Jewish family from Zagreb. Alexander's father was councillor at the "Croatian commercial artisan chamber". Alexander had a younger brother, Šandor, and two sisters, Gizela and Ilka. He attended elementary and high school in Zagreb, and a business academy in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. Around 1860 his father opened a grain store in Zagreb. After his education, Alexander returned to Zagreb and started to work with his father. In 1880 he moved to Sisak where he opened another grain store for his family business. There he was introduced to his future wife, Emma (

Neumann), the daughter of

Varaždin Varaždin ( or ; , also known by #Name, alternative names) is a city in Northern Croatia, north-east of Zagreb. The total population is 46,946, with 38,839 in the city settlement itself (2011). The city is best known for its baroque buildings, ...

businessman Wolf Neumann. With his wife Alexander had three daughters, Vera (died as a child), Gizela and Mira, and four sons, Ivo, Božidar, Branko and Dragutin. All his children were born in Sisak. Alexander was an active member of the Israelites of Zagreb community. Since 1885 he was the president of the choral society "Danica". In 1915 he moved back to Zagreb with his family. Alexander was member of the society "Narodni rad - društvo židovskih asimilanata i anticionista u Hrvatskoj" (''Peoples work - Society of Jewish assimilates and anti Zionists in Croatia'').

Business career

He was known as an organizational genius. In 1893, Alexander bought a brewery in

Sisak Sisak (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in central Croatia, spanning the confluence of the Kupa, Sava and Odra rivers, southeast of the Croatian capital Zagreb, and is usually considered to be where the Posavina (Sava basin ...

, "Sisačka pivovara". In Sisak he was elected as the representative in the city assembly and was vice president of the savings cooperatives for Sisak and surrounding areas. Alexander owned the ceramic factory "Titanit", chemical factory "Danica", cement factory "Croatia", colliery "Mirna", cooking oil factory "Zagreb" (now " Zvijezda") and was major shareholder of

Zagrebačka pivovara Zagrebačka pivovara (lit. Zagreb Brewery) was founded in 1892, when brewers from the Upper Town of Zagreb, Croatia realized they were not able to produce enough beer for the ever-growing and developing city. It was the first industrial brewery i ...

. Alexander co-founded the "Zagreb Stock Exchange for the goods and values" (now "

Zagreb Stock Exchange The Zagreb Stock Exchange or ZSE ( ) is a stock exchange located in Zagreb, Croatia. It is Croatia's only stock exchange. The exchange trades shares of Croatian companies, as well as bonds and commercial bills. The ZSE was established in 1991 a ...

") and was co-founder of "Zagreb assembly" (now "

Zagreb Fair Zagreb Fair () is a complex of exhibition pavilions in Zagreb, Croatia. The company which operates the venue carries the same name. The Zagreb Fair is the main venue in Zagreb for trade shows and fairs. Every year more than 25 specialised events ...

"). He was also the elected president of "Industrialists Union" in 1919, and board member of the "Commercial Chamber". Alexander also owned several residential buildings in Zagreb. In the "Industrialists Union" he promoted and protected Croatian industry against Hungary and its economic policy in the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

. Under his leadership all of Croatia and Slavonia industry was assembled under the "Industrialists Union". Alexander donated a great deal of his profits to charity.

Later life

Alexander was a great philanthropist who often aided the city of Zagreb, the poor and those in need. In 1941, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, with the

NDH The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, after the invasion by the Axis powers. Its territory cons ...

regime in power, Alexander and his wife found refuge at the sanatorium in Klaićeva street. In 1942, Alexander and his wife moved to the sanatorium of Dr. Đuro Vranešić, known for saving 80 Jews, in Zelengaj street 57. He died there relatively peacefully at the age of 80 in 1943. Alexander was buried at the

Mirogoj Cemetery The Mirogoj City Cemetery (, ), also known as Mirogoj Cemetery (), is a cemetery park that is considered to be among the more noteworthy landmarks in the city of Zagreb. The cemetery inters members of all religious groups: Catholic, Orthodox, M ...

. In an attempt to save themselves from the

Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionar ...

and

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

persecution, his family was scattered all over the world. Some of them temporarily stayed in

Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. His wife and children survived the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. Many members of Alexander family perished during the Holocaust. His sister Ilka was killed at the

Jasenovac concentration camp Jasenovac () was a concentration camp, concentration and extermination camp established in the Jasenovac, Sisak-Moslavina County, village of the same name by the authorities of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) in occupied Yugoslavia durin ...

in 1942 together with her son-in-law

Oton Vinski Oton Vinski (born Otto Weiss; 20 March 1877 – 1942) was an influential Croatian banker who was killed during the Holocaust. Vinski was born in Osijek on 20 March 1877, as Otto Weiss, to a Jewish family of Franjo and Berta Weiss. Vinski was marr ...

, his niece Zora was killed in 1944 at

Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Samuel David 1862 births 1943 deaths Businesspeople from Zagreb Croatian Jews Jews from Austria-Hungary Croatian Austro-Hungarians Croatian people of Austrian-Jewish descent Croatian philanthropists Samuel David Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery Businesspeople from Austria-Hungary Yugoslav businesspeople Croatian anti-Zionists Anti-Zionists from Austria-Hungary