Meyer Guggenheim ( , ; February 1, 1828 – March 15, 1905) was the

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in c ...

of what became known as the

Guggenheim family The Guggenheim family ( ) is an American-Jewish family known for making their fortune in the mining industry, in the early 20th century, especially in the United States and South America. After World War I, many family members withdrew from ...

in the United States, which became one of the world's wealthiest families during the 19th century, and remained so during the 20th.

Early life

Guggenheim was born in Lengnau,

Aargau Aargau, more formally the Canton of Aargau (german: Kanton Aargau; rm, Chantun Argovia; french: Canton d'Argovie; it, Canton Argovia), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven districts and its capit ...

, Switzerland, on February 1, 1828. He was the son of Simon Meyer Guggenheim and Schafeli (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Levinger) Guggenheim and was of

Ashkenazi Jew Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

ish ancestry.

Career

After emigrating from Switzerland in 1847 to the United States, he launched a new life in the importing business. He ultimately made his fortune (one of the largest of the 19th century) through business ventures in

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the econom ...

and

smelting Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore, to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including silver, iron, copper, and other base metals. Smelting uses heat and a c ...

, mostly in the United States. After investing in silver mines in the Leadville mining district of

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

, he expanded into ore smelting in Colorado. He built a number of smelters across the United States and in northern Mexico. As his several sons grew up, they assumed leading roles in the family mining and smelting business.

Personal life

Guggenheim met Barbara Myers (1834–1900), a fellow immigrant on the ship to the United States, and married her four years later around 1852. Together, they were the parents of ten surviving children. Five of their seven sons were active in the family businesses, including: * Isaac Guggenheim (1854–1922), who married Carrie Sonneborn in 1876. *

Daniel Guggenheim Daniel Guggenheim (July 9, 1856 – September 28, 1930) was an American mining magnate and philanthropist, and a son of Meyer and Barbara Guggenheim. By 1910 he directed the world's most important group of mining interests. He was forced out ...

(1856–1930), head of the family after his father's death, who was the most active of his sons in developing and acquiring worldwide mining interests. * Maurice Guggenheim (1858–1939), originally in the lace and embroidery import business; by 1881, he was a financier involved in mining and smelting. * Solomon Robert Guggenheim (1861–1949), a supporter of

modern art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradi ...

through his foundation and donations to the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of t ...

. * Jeanette Guggenheim (1863–1889), married Albert Gerstle and died in childbirth. *

Benjamin Guggenheim Benjamin Guggenheim (October 26, 1865 – April 15, 1912) was an American businessman. He died aboard when the ship sank in the North Atlantic Ocean. His body was never recovered. Early life Guggenheim was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, t ...

(1865–1912), who died in the ''Titanic'' disaster. He married Florette Seligman. * John Simon Guggenheim (1867–1941), a one-term

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from

. * William Guggenheim (1868–1941) * Rose Guggenheim (1871–1945), who married three times; first to Albert Loeb (head of the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its liste ...

), second to Samuel M. Goldsmith in 1908, and third to Charles E. Quicke. * Cora Gwendalyn Guggenheim (1873–1956), who married to Louis Frank Rothschild, founder of L.F. Rothschild. After his wife's death in 1900, Guggenheim and his sons provided $200,000 to Mount Sinai Hospital for the construction of a hospital in her honor. Guggenheim died on March 15, 1905, in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intrac ...

. He was interred at the

Salem Fields Cemetery Salem Fields Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery located at 775 Jamaica Avenue in the Cypress Hills neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, United States, within the Cemetery Belt. It was founded in 1852 by Temple Emanu-el. Salem Fields is the final ...

in Brooklyn, New York.

Descendants

Through his son Benjamin, Guggenheim was a grandfather of art collector and socialite

Peggy Guggenheim Marguerite "Peggy" Guggenheim ( ; August 26, 1898 – December 23, 1979) was an American art collector, bohemian and socialite. Born to the wealthy New York City Guggenheim family, she was the daughter of Benjamin Guggenheim, who went down with ...

References

External links

National Mining Hall of Fame: ''Meyer Guggenheim''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Guggenheim, Meyer 1828 births 1905 deaths People from Zurzach District Swiss Ashkenazi Jews 19th-century American businesspeople American people of German-Jewish descent American people of Swiss-Jewish descent American businesspeople in metals American mining businesspeople Meyer Guggenheim Swiss emigrants to the United States Burials at Salem Fields Cemetery