Julius Baer | |
|---|---|
.png) Swiss passport photo of Julius Baer issued in 1920 | |
| Founder and president ofJulius Baer Group | |
| In office 1890 – 1922 (his death) | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Isaac Baer (1857-01-02)2 January 1857 |
| Died | 9 March 1922(1922-03-09) (aged 65) |
| Citizenship | Badenian (1857–1871) German (1871–1907) Swiss (1907–1922) |
| Spouse | |
| Relations | Hans J. Baer (grandson) |
| Children | 3, includingRichard J. Baer |
| Occupation | Banker and businessman |
Julius Baer (German:[bɛːɐ̯];néIsaac Baer; born 2 January 1857 – 9 March 1922) was a German-born Swiss banker, businessman and philanthropist. Baer was the founder and namesake ofJulius Baer Group, and the patriarch of theBaer family.[1]
Baer was born inHeidelsheim (today part ofBruchsal),Grand Duchy of Baden to Joseph (1816–1891) and Rosina (née Dreyfuss; 1819–1907) Baer, into aJewish family. His father worked as private money lender and merchant of animal skins, while his mother was a homemaker. He was the second youngest of five siblings. Baer was educated at the Jewish School of Heidelsheim and completed a banking apprenticeship atBankhaus August Gerstle inAugsburg from 1883 to 1885.[2]
In 1886, he became a partner in the private bankSamuel Dukas & Co. inBasel, Switzerland. A position he continued to hold until 1896, when he was deployed by his brother-in-law Ludwig Hirschhorn, toZurich. He became a partner inBank Hirschhorn, Uhl & Bär, which existed since 1890, and is the ultimate predecessor of today'sJulius Baer Group. Since 1901, the bank bore only his name, and was known asJulius Bär & Co., which became one of the leading Swiss private banks.[2][3]
He was on several board of directors includingLake Thun railway line,Südostbahn andOerlikon-Bührle (1908–1922).
In 1891, he married Marie Ulrich (1869–1917),[4][page needed] with whom he had three sons;
His grandson,Hans J. Baer (1927–2011),[6][7] was a long-term executive director and president ofJulius Baer, who became known through his involvement as amediator in retrieving Jewish funds in theVolcker Commission in the 1990s.[8]
