Jean-Henri Hottinguer
Jean-Henri Hottinguer (Paris, 25 January 1803 – 1866) was a French noble, entrepreneur and banker, Baron of Hottinguer, son of the Swiss banker Baron Jean-Conrad Hottinguer.
Biography
He was born in Paris on 25 January 1803, as the eldest son of Baron Jean-Conrad Hottinguer, whom he later succeeded. In 1818 he left Paris to further his business knowledge and education. His first destination was London, where he worked for Lloyds and on the London Stock Exchange. At age 23 he traveled to America, spending several years there and forming valuable contacts for the future. He eventually returned to France to assist his father in the family business.
In 1816 the family firm Hottinger & Co. diversified into insurance, founding the Compagnie Royale d'Assurance, whose founding directors included Jacques Laffitte (Governor of the Bank of France), Baron Hottinguer himself, Benjamin Delessert and twenty others in maritime insurance. Later, Hottinger joined Delessert to establish the Caisse d’Espagne, the first savings bank for small investors.
In 1833, upon his father’s retirement, he took control of Hottinger & Co. In 1858 he married Caroline Delessert, only daughter of Baron Delessert. That same year he secured one of his greatest achievements by taking over Banque Delessert after his father-in-law’s death.
In 1852 he co-founded the Compagnie Générale des Eaux (later part of Vivendi, now Veolia) and helped build France’s first railway network. In 1863 he and other banking families established the Ottoman Bank in Istanbul, which later became the Australia and New Zealand Bank.
He died of natural causes in 1866, succeeded by his son Rodolphe Hottinguer, who assumed control of the family enterprises.
References
- https://web.archive.org/web/20141219120351/http://www.hottinger.com/
- http://www.anz.com/
- http://www.veoliaenvironnement.com/fr/Default.aspx
- Messieurs Hottinguer Banquiers à Paris, Max Gérard, 1968, Volume I
- http://www.groupe.caisse-epargne.com/asp/1ci_modele2.aspx?np=1818_fondation_caisse_ci&ml=826