Ferdinand Moritz Delmar
Baron Ferdinand Moritz von Delmar | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Charlottenburg, Berlin |
| Died | November 27, 1858 (aged 77) |
| Occupation(s) | Financier, plantation proprietor |
| Known for | Prussian financier, proprietor of coffee and tea plantations in Sri Lanka |
Baron Ferdinand Moritz von Delmar, originally named Salomon Moses Levy (21 March 1781 – 27 November 1858), was a prominent Prussian financier and proprietor of coffee and tea plantations in Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon), notably including the Delmar Estate.
Early life
He was born in Charlottenburg, Berlin into a Jewish family originating from Poznan. His father, Moses Salomon Levy, worked as both a banker and a grain merchant. His mother, Belle Goldschmidt, was the daughter of Ruben Hesse Goldschmidt, a court banker based in Kassel.
Career
In 1809, Delmar inherited the firm Delmar and Co, at which point he and his brothers adopted the surname "Delmar" and converted to Christianity. Following the Treaties of Tilsit, he participated in managing Prussian war indemnities, served as a councilor in Berlin, and maintained connections with members of the French nobility. He was granted the Prussian noble rank of Freiherr (baron) von Delmar in 1810. The Delmar company discontinued its activities by 1825. His estates in Ceylon were pledged to Baring Brothers and eventually sold off in 1897 after legal proceedings involving his adopted daughter Emily and coffee planter John Boustead.
Personal life
Around 1815, Delmar relocated to Paris where he wed Emily Rumbold (1790–1861), daughter of Sir George Rumbold, 2nd Baronet. He formally adopted his wife’s niece, Emily Victorine Elizabeth Rumbold (1824–1904), who later married George Henry Cavendish in 1848; their marriage ended in divorce in 1866. In 1869, she was granted the title of Freifrau von Delmar and subsequently remarried Count Gaston de la Rochefoucauld in 1870.
Baron von Delmar passed away on 27 November 1858.