Jacques de Reinach
Jacques de Reinach | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1840-04-17 Frankfurt |
| Died | 1892-11-19 |
| Occupation | Banker |
| Known for | Role in Panama scandals |
Baron Jacob Adolphe Reinach (17 April 1840 – 19 November 1892), more commonly referred to as Jacques de Reinach, was a prominent French banker of Jewish German descent who played a significant role in major financial transactions prior to his collapse during the Panama scandals. He was born to Clementine Oppenheim and Adolphe de Reinach, who served as the Belgian consul in Frankfurt. His family received nobility status in Italy in 1866, which was later reaffirmed by William I of Germany.
Life
In the late 1850s, Reinach relocated to Paris and, alongside his brother-in-law Édouard Kohn, established the banking firm Kohn-Reinach in 1863. That same year, he wed his cousin Fanny Emden; their offspring included Henriette-Clémentine (who became the spouse of Joseph Reinach), Lucien, and Juliette-Maximilienne. During the Siege of Paris (1870–1871), he served with the National Guard and obtained French citizenship in 1871.
His commercial ventures prospered through involvement in enterprises such as the chemins de fer de Provence railway and investments within Canada's Canadian Pacific. His residence in Paris, a hôtel particulier located at Parc Monceau, emerged as a gathering place for leaders from political, financial, and artistic circles. Additionally, he purchased the château de Nivillers in Picardy, where he held the position of mayor beginning in 1884.
Fictional depiction
In Émile Zola's 1898 work Paris, the character baron Duvillard is modeled after Jacques de Reinach. More recently, Reinach’s suicide serves as a central narrative element in Eric Zencey’s novel Panama.