Eric M. Warburg

Erich Moritz Warburg
Born	Template:Birth date Hamburg, Germany
Died	July 9, 1990(1990-07-09) (aged 90)
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, banker
Known for	Founder of E.M. Warburg & Co. (later Warburg Pincus)

Erich Moritz Warburg (15 April 1900 – 9 July 1990) was a German-American entrepreneur and a distinguished member of the well-known Warburg family of financiers.

Early life and education

Warburg was born in Hamburg, Germany, to Alice (née Magnus) and Max Warburg, who served as director of M. M. Warburg & Co.. He completed his studies at the Heinrich Hertz-Realgymnasium in Hamburg and enlisted in the German Army during 1918. In 1938, escaping the rise of the Nazi regime, he emigrated to the United States. During World War II, he held the rank of lieutenant colonel and worked as an intelligence officer in the United States Army, where he was involved in interrogations of prominent Nazi figures such as Hermann Göring. Additionally, Warburg facilitated the relocation of German scientists to America throughout the conflict and was honored with awards including the Legion of Merit, Order of the British Empire, and Croix de Guerre.

Career

Warburg received banking training in several financial centers, including Berlin, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, London, and New York City. Between 1929 and 1938, he acted as managing partner at both M. M. Warburg & Co. in Hamburg and Warburg & Company in Amsterdam. In 1939, he established E.M. Warburg & Co. in New York City, a firm that later developed into the private equity company Warburg Pincus. He is also recognized for his efforts to strengthen German-American relations, which led to the creation of the first Eric M. Warburg Prize.

Personal life

Warburg was married to Dorothea Thorsch and fathered three children: Max (based in Hamburg), Dr. Marie Warburg (residing in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts), and Erica Warburg (also from Hamburg).