Abram M. Rothschild or A.M. Rothschild (1853 – July 28, 1902) was an American businessman who founded the A.M. Rothschild Company.

Biography

Abram M. Rothschild was born to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family in 1853 in Nordstetten (today a district of Horb am Neckar),

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, the youngest child in a family of thirteen. In 1856, he immigrated to

Davenport Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality * Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta **District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

where he joined his brother, Emmanuel, who had founded a retail store. The store was renamed to E. Rothschild and Bro. After the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 10 ...

, the brothers established a branch operation on the near west side of Chicago which soon morphed it into a clothing manufacturing operation. In 1881, they liquidated their retail operations and went solely into clothing manufacturing with their company, the Palace Clothing Company; Abram served as president and built production facilities in a number of cities. He served as a director of the

Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

and Vice President of the National Bank of the Republic. In 1895, he built a retail store under his name, A.M. Rothschild Company, with his father-in-law

Nelson Morris Nelson Morris (January 21, 1838 – August 27, 1907) was the founder of Morris & Company, one of the three main meat-packing companies in Chicago along with Armour & Company and Swift & Company. Biography Morris was born Moritz Beisinger on Ja ...

and his brother-in-laws Edward Morris and

Ira Nelson Morris Ira Nelson Morris (March 8, 1875 – January 15, 1942) was an American author and diplomat appointed the United States Minister to Sweden, serving from 1914 to 1923. In 1913 he was appointed the Commissioner General to Italy, on behalf of the Pa ...

as silent partners. It became one of the largest retail stores in Chicago.

Personal life

In 1882, he married Augusta Morris, daughter of

, the founder of the Chicago meatpacking company

Morris & Company Morris and Company, was one of several meatpacking companies in Chicago, Illinois, and in South Omaha, Nebraska. History Morris & Company was founded by Nelson Morris in Chicago. In 1902, with Nelson's son, Edward Morris as president, it agre ...

; they had one child, Melville Nelson Rothschild. Rothschild committed suicide by revolver on July 28, 1902, in Chicago. After his death, his wife married his cousin, Maurice L. Rothschild.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rothschild, Abram M. 1853 births 1902 deaths American retail chief executives German emigrants to the United States Morris family (meatpacking) 1902 suicides 19th-century American businesspeople Suicides by firearm in Illinois