Simon Moritz Bethmann (1721–1782) was a German merchant and banker.
Life
Simon Moritz was born in Nassau, northwest of Frankfurt am Main, the youngest son of the identically named Nassovian administrator ''Simon Moritz Bethmann'' (1687–1725). Together he and his older brother
Johann Philipp
Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name ''Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Gracious" ...
founded in 1748 what would become the
Bethmann bank, based on the 1746 inheritance from their maternal uncle ''Jakob Adami'' in Frankfurt. In 1746 he and Johann Philipp purchased citizenship in Frankfurt for 800 guldens each. Their brother
Johann Jakob carried on the family name in Bordeaux, where he became a merchant and shipowner.
In 1755 Simon Moritz became deacon of the ''Niederländische Gemeinde Augsburgischer Confession'' (= Dutch Congregation of the
Augsburg Confession
The Augsburg Confession, also known as the Augustan Confession or the Augustana from its Latin name, ''Confessio Augustana'', is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of the Protestant Re ...
), a charitable institution transferred to Frankfurt in 1585 by Martinist Lutherans who had fled Antwerp's religious persecution.
[The association of Simon Moritz with the Dutch Congregation may have been part of the reason why some of the 19th-century literature mistakenly identified the Bethmanns as having descended from religious refugees from the Netherlands.] Together with Johann Philipp he purchased the ''Basler Hof'' property from the
Patrizier ''Johann Friedrich Maximilian von Stalburg'', where the
Bethmann bank maintains offices to this day.
He was married to Elisabeth Rummel, daughter of the
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
notable Balthasar Rummel. Noted for his good works—including a bequest of 50,000 guldens to the Frankfurt Citizens' Hospital. He died without issue at Frankfurt am Main in 1782.
See also
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Bethmann family
The Bethmann family (; ) has been remarkable for the high proportion of its male members who succeeded at mercantile or financial endeavors. This family trait began in medieval northern Germany and continued with the Bethmann bank, which Johann P ...
Notes
Further reading
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External links
"About" pageof the Dutch Congregation of the Augsburg Confession
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bethmann, Simon Moritz
German bankers
1721 births
1782 deaths
Simon Moritz