Friedrich Schey von Koromla
Friedrich Schey Freiherr von Koromla | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Kőszeg |
| Died | July 15, 1881 (aged 66) Lainz |
| Occupation(s) | Financier, banker |
| Known for | Commissioning the Palais Schey von Koromla, presidency of Vienna Business Academy, leadership roles in Austrian banking and railways |
Friedrich Schey Freiherr von Koromla (born 5 March 1815 in Kőszeg, died 15 July 1881 in Lainz) was a prominent Austrian financier. Around 1863, he commissioned the construction of the Palais Schey von Koromla located in Vienna, Austria.
Life
Friedrich Schey was born into a prosperous Jewish family that owned a trading enterprise in Güns (present-day Kőszeg). He pursued legal studies at the Lyceum in Ödenburg and enrolled at the Polytechnicum Vienna during 1831 and 1832. By 1835, he was employed at the Wertheimstein banking firm in Vienna before joining his family’s commercial operations in Güns. In 1839, he wed Emilie Landauer (1817–1840) and became a partner in his father-in-law’s company. Following Emilie’s passing, he married her sisters Charlotte (1820–1842) and subsequently Hermine Landauer (1822–1902), with whom he fathered Josef Schey von Koromla (1853–1938), a legal professional.
After the death of his father-in-law, Schey relocated to Vienna, assumed leadership of the Vöslauer Kammgarnfabrik in 1854, and established "Firma Schey, k. k. priv. Großhändler," specializing in textile trade and financial services. Serving as banker to Archduke Albrecht, he secured contracts for supplying the Imperial Army. In 1857, he co-founded the Vienna Business Academy, acting as its inaugural president.
In 1859, together with his uncle Philipp Schey von Koromla, he was granted the noble title Edler along with the designation von Koromla. By 1860, he had obtained full civil and political rights within Vienna.
Schey was a board member of the Lower Austrian Escompte Society from 1859 for two years and directed the Austrian National Bank between 1861 and 1869, except for a brief hiatus in 1866.
Elevated to knighthood in 1863, he commissioned Palais Schey von Koromla’s construction during 1863/64. In 1865, he joined the board of the Securitas reinsurance company and became its vice president by 1869. Additionally, he was a founding board member of the Theissbahn railway in 1856, served as president of the Empress Elisabeth Railway from 1861 onward, and led negotiations culminating in its nationalization finalized in 1884.
An accomplished violinist and bibliophile, Schey supported several cultural organizations such as the Vienna Municipal Theater (where he served as president), the Vienna Musikverein, and Künstlerhaus Wien. He also provided financial backing for the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition and contributed to various monuments throughout Vienna.
In recognition of his achievements, he was awarded the Third Class of the Order of the Iron Crown in 1862, along with distinctions from Prussia, France, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, among others. His remains rest within the family vault located in the Israelite section of Vienna Central Cemetery.