Alfred Loewenstein
| Alfred Loewenstein | |
|---|---|
Loewenstein (by Jos De Swerts, 1926)
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| Born |
Alfred Léonard Loewenstein March 11, 1877 Brussels |
| Died | July 4, 1928 (aged 51) North Sea |
| Occupation | banker, entrepreneur |
Alfred Léonard Loewenstein (11 March 1877 - 4 July 1928),CB, was a Belgian financier. At his peak in the 1920s he was worth around £12 million in the currency of the time.
The basis of his wealth was that he invested in electric power and artificial silk businesses when those industries were in their infancy.
Loewenstein was born to Bernard Loewenstein, a German-Jewish banker in Brussels, Belgium. Loewenstein established his own banking concern, and was a wealthy man by 1914. He offered his government in exile 50 million dollars, interest free, to stabilize the currency in return for the right of printing Belgian francs. The offer was refused. He joined the Belgian armed forces and following the army's retreat, Captain Alfred Loewenstein was sent to London, England where he was placed in charge of military supplies. At war's end, he maintained a residence in England where he ran an investment business that made him one of Europe's most powerful financiers. He partnered with the Canadian-born investment house of Sir James Dunn in several business venture, the duo emerging with more than £1,000,000 profit from their 1920s investment in British Celanese alone.
Loewenstein was an owner of a successful stable of Thoroughbred steeplechase race horses. His horses won the 1926 and 1928 runnings of the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris.
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