Abraham Kuhn (banker)

Abraham Kuhn
Born	Template:Birth date Harxheim, Grand Duchy of Hesse
Died	May 30, 1892(1892-05-30) (aged 72) Frankfurt, Germany
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, financier
Known for	Co-founder of Kuhn, Loeb & Co.

Abraham Kuhn (June 20, 1819 – May 30, 1892) was a German-Jewish American entrepreneur and financier who co-established Kuhn, Loeb & Co. in New York City, a prominent investment banking institution in the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Biography

Originating from Harxheim, close to Mainz, Kuhn immigrated to New York approximately in 1840 alongside his brothers Solomon and Max. He married Regina Loeb, sister of his eventual business associate Solomon Loeb, in 1849. Beginning as a peddler in America, Kuhn joined forces with Loeb in 1850 to create a retail enterprise in Lafayette, Indiana. By the decade's end, they managed a prosperous men's apparel manufacturing and dry goods operation in Cincinnati, Ohio, gaining considerable profits through contracts for military uniforms.

Transitioning from manufacturing, Kuhn, Loeb, and Samuel Wolff ventured into banking in 1865, culminating in the founding of Kuhn, Loeb and Company in New York City in 1867 to capitalize on the period's economic growth. The company commenced with an initial capital of $500,000. Following the death of his wife in 1869, Kuhn stepped back from daily operations and relocated to Frankfurt with his daughters but retained partnership status until 1887.

While residing in Frankfurt, Kuhn established a connection with Jacob Schiff, whom he appointed to work at Kuhn, Loeb's New York office. Schiff subsequently married into the Loeb family and propelled the firm to become the second most esteemed investment bank in the United States after J. P. Morgan & Co.

Kuhn passed away in Frankfurt in 1892, shortly after founding the philanthropic Stipendienstiftung organization based in Bad Dürkheim.

His daughter Ida became the wife of Eduard Cohen; their child Emilie (Mimi) inherited a considerable estate from Kuhn in 1903—amounting to 150,000 Marks—and allocated these funds toward real estate investments in Cairo.