Jules Bache

Jules Semon Bache
Born	Template:Birth date New York City, U.S.
Died	March 24, 1944(1944-03-24) (aged 82) Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Banker, art collector, philanthropist
Known for	Founder of J. S. Bache & Co., art collection benefactor to Metropolitan Museum of Art

Jules Semon Bache (November 9, 1861 – March 24, 1944) was a prominent American banker, art collector, and philanthropist.

Early life

Jules Bache was born in New York City into a Jewish family. His father, Semon Bache [originally Bach], emigrated from Nuremberg, Bavaria, and founded the glass manufacturing company Semon Bache & Company in New York.

Career

Jules started his career in 1881 as a cashier at Leopold Cahn & Co., a brokerage firm established by his uncle. By 1886, he had become a minority partner, and in 1892 he assumed full ownership, renaming it J. S. Bache & Co.. Under his leadership, the firm grew into one of the leading brokerage houses in the United States, ranking just behind Merrill Lynch. Through this success, he accumulated substantial wealth and gained recognition as an influential supporter of the arts and charitable causes.

During World War I, Bache contributed to the American Field Service operating in France. Meanwhile, his wife organized fundraising efforts for the "War Babies' Cradle," which provided assistance to mothers and children impacted by the conflict in Northern France and Belgium.

In the 1920 presidential election, Bache acted as a presidential elector for Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge.

He maintained significant holdings in major corporations and served on several corporate boards. His portfolio included considerable stakes in Canadian mining firms managed via a Bahamas-based entity designed to minimize U.S. surtaxes—a tactic that drew criticism during federal inquiries into the 1929 Wall Street Crash. A proponent of tax reductions to stimulate economic growth, he authored Release business from the slavery of taxation. He was a principal shareholder and president of Dome Mines Limited from 1919 until 1942 and held the position of Chairman at his passing. Following Dillon, Read & Co.’s acquisition of Dodge Brothers Automobile Company in 1923, Bache secured a substantial interest in Chrysler Corporation.

As an advocate for American theatre, he played a role in establishing the New York chapter of the Escholier Club in 1941.

Personal life and death

On May 23, 1892, Bache married Florence R. Scheftel; they had two daughters together.

Jules Bache passed away in 1944 in Palm Beach, Florida, and was laid to rest at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York. His grave features a replica of Trajan's Kiosk from Philae. In 1927, his daughter, Kathryn Bache Miller, wed theatrical producer Gilbert Miller in Paris. His granddaughter Muriel Bache Richards married Francis Warren Pershing, son of General John J. Pershing.

He pronounced his surname as Baitch, rhyming with aitch.

Art collection

In addition to his financial achievements, Jules Bache was renowned as an art collector. A notable acquisition occurred in 1929 when he purchased a portrait of Giuliano de Medici, then attributed to Raphael, which attracted considerable attention. His collection featured important works by or attributed to artists such as Rembrandt, Titian (including the famous The Bache Madonna), Albrecht Dürer, Diego Velázquez, Gerard David, Giovanni Bellini, and Sandro Botticelli.

In 1937, Bache opened his collection for public viewing. However, World War II necessitated its closure in 1943; during this time, it was loaned to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which safeguarded its own masterpieces by storing them elsewhere. That same year, he also contributed artworks to the Detroit Institute of Arts.

He was a significant benefactor to the Metropolitan Museum's Department of Decorative Arts. Upon his death in 1944, most pieces held by the Jules Bache Foundation were bequeathed to the Museum; other works remaining at his residence on 814 Fifth Avenue were sold at auction.

image	title	painter	date	accession number	The Met url
	Madonna and Child with Saints	Giovanni Bellini		49.7.1	MET
	Madonna and Child	Workshop of Giovanni Bellini	1510	49.7.2	MET
	Portrait of a Young Man	Jacometto Veneziano		49.7.3	MET
	The Coronation of the Virgin	Follower of Botticelli	1500s	49.7.4	MET
	Madonna Lenti	Carlo Crivelli	1472	49.7.5	MET
	Portrait of a Woman	Master of the Nativity of Castello	1450s	49.7.6	MET