Willy Dreyfus
Willy Dreyfus | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 March 1885 |
| Died | 12 January 1977 (aged 91) |
| Occupation | Banker |
| Known for | Leadership of J. Dreyfus & Co; facilitation of foreign loans for German government and industry |
Willy Dreyfus (born 24 March 1885, died 12 January 1977) was a Swiss banker with German-Jewish heritage.
Life
As the son of partner Isaac Dreyfus and grandson of the founder of the banking firm J. Dreyfus & Co, Willy Dreyfus completed his training within the family enterprise in both Berlin and London. Upon his father's passing in 1909, he assumed leadership of the business. Throughout his career, he collaborated with influential bankers including Hjalmar Schacht, Hans Fürstenberg, and Paul von Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.
Beginning in 1924, Dreyfus facilitated major foreign loans for the German government and various industrial corporations by leveraging relationships with banks in Britain and the United States. He was actively involved in the Jewish Community of Berlin as a board member and held the position of vice president at the Benefit Society of German Jews starting from 1927.
After the Nazi regime came to power in 1933, Dreyfus faced persecution due to his Jewish background. His banking institution underwent Aryanization, being forcibly transferred to non-Jewish ownership in Frankfurt by 1937 and Berlin by 1938. In 1938, he emigrated with his family to Switzerland and pursued restitution for assets confiscated by the Nazis.
Willy Dreyfus passed away at the age of 91 in 1977. He was the younger sibling of neurologist Georg Ludwig Dreyfus, who also relocated to Switzerland in 1933.
Art collection
An enthusiastic collector, Dreyfus amassed a significant assortment of artworks and manuscripts, which included distinguished items such as an Egyptian bronze cat statue from the 21st/26th Dynasty alongside rare literary documents.
Writings
- Bankwesen und Bankpolitik, Teubner, 1924
- Wirtschaftswende: Betrachtungen zur finanziellen Gesundung des Kontinents, Europa Verlag, 1945
Literature
- Walther Killy und Rudolf Vierhaus (Hrsg.): Deutsche Biographische Enzyklopädie. Band 2. K.G. Saur Verlag, München 1996, ISBN 3-598-23163-6, Seite 620.
- Ingo Köhler: Die "Arisierung" der Privatbanken im Dritten Reich: Verdrängung, Ausschaltung und die Frage der Wiedergutmachung, Beck, München 2005, ISBN 3-406-53200-4
- Werner Röder und Herbert A. Strauss (Hrsg.): Biographisches Handbuch der deutschsprachigen Emigration nach 1933, Bd. 1: Politik, Wirtschaft, Öffentliches Leben, München 1980, S. 138