Albert von Rothschild | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 October 1844 |
| Died | 11 February 1911 (1911-02-12) (aged 66) Vienna,Austria-Hungary |
| Resting place | Zentralfriedhof |
| Occupation | Banker |
| Known for | Austro-Hungarian monetary reform, Chess patron/player |
| Board member of | S M von Rothschild,Northern Railway |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Georg von Rothschild Alphonse de Rothschild Charlotte von Rothschild Ludwig de Rothschild Eugène von Rothschild Valentine von Rothschild Oskar von Rothschild |
| Parent(s) | Anselm von Rothschild Charlotte von Rothschild |
| Honors |
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Albert Salomon Anselm Freiherr von Rothschild (29 October 1844 – 11 February 1911) was abanker inAustria-Hungary and a member of theRothschild banking family of Austria. Businesses that he owned includedCreditanstalt and theNorthern Railway.
Rothschild was born inVienna on 29 October 1844. He was the youngest son ofAnselm von Rothschild (1803–1874) and Charlotte von Rothschild (1807–1859).[1]
Known in the family as "Salbert", he was educated inBonn.[2]
After his father fell ill in 1866, Albert took over as head of the Rothschild family business in Austria.[2] Upon his father's death in 1874, Albert's elder brothersNathaniel andFerdinand inherited most of their parent's real estate and art collection. The family business, however, passed to Albert including theS M von Rothschild bank, the single largest shareholding in theCreditanstalt, and the shares in theNorthern Railway. After two generations in Austria, communications between his family and the Rothschilds in England had diminished considerably but Albert wisely reinstated the regular exchange of vital information on current economic matters and politics in their respective countries.[1]

Rothschild owned several large properties including thePalais Albert Rothschild at Prinz-Eugen-Straße 20–22, in the 4thWieden district ofVienna, designed by the French architectGabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur and built between 1876 and 1882. When his unmarried and childless brotherNathaniel died in 1905, Albert inherited hisPalais Nathaniel Rothschild at 14-16 Theresianumgasse in Vienna along with its large collection of art.[1]
He also continued the family's involvement in the arts and withphilanthropic projects. He was achess patron who helped to finance the Vienna tournaments of1873,1882,1898, 1903 (Gambit) and1908. He was also President of the Vienna Chess Association 1872–1883 and a strong amateur player. He took a special interest in institutions that provided assistance to Jewish artists and musicians.[1]
Albert was awarded the IronCross of Merit in 1893 for his role in Austro-Hungarianmonetary reform.[1]

In 1876, Rothschild married his second cousin Baroness Bettina Caroline de Rothschild (1858–1892) ofParis, France, daughter ofAlphonse James de Rothschild. Before her death in 1892, they were the parents of seven children:[1]
In December 1887, Albert and his wife were given the right to be presented at Court, the first time such a privilege had been granted in Austria to Jews.[1]
Rothschild died in Vienna on 11 February 1911 and was interred next to his wife and their six-year-old daughter Charlotte in the city'sZentralfriedhof. His eldest son, Georg, and youngest son, Oskar, were also buried in the Zentralfriedhof.[1]
Following his wife's death in 1892 at the age of thirty-four, Rothschild donated 500,000guilders to build theBettina Frauenspital (Bettina Hospital for Women) in her memory and a Bettina Rothschildbegonia was named for her. The Austrian astronomerJohann Palisa named the largeMain beltasteroid he discovered in 1885 the250 Bettina in her honor as a benefactor of theVienna Observatory.[1]
In recognition of Albert von Rothschild's years of financial support, the719 AlbertAmor asteroid was named in his memory byastronomerJohann Palisa.[1]