- Pierre David-Weill
Pierre David-Weill (
March 8 ,1900 -January 14 ,1975 ) was a Frenchinvestment bank er.Born Pierre Sylvain Désiré Gérard David-Weill in
Paris ,France , he was the son of Flora Raphael andDavid David-Weill (1871-1952), Chairman ofLazard Frères . He followed in his father's footsteps and in 1927 became a partner in the Paris office of the family's bank at the time under the direction of the brilliantRaymond Philippe .In 1932 Pierre David-Weill married Berthe Haardt with whom he had a son,
Michel David-Weill (born 1932) and a daughter, Eliane David-Weill born in 1935.Along with Lazard Frères minority partner,
André Meyer , Pierre David-Weill and his family fled theGerman occupation of France during World War II to the safety of theUnited States . There, he took charge of the firm's office inNew York City where he remained until the liberation of France byAllied Forces in 1944. On his return to Paris, he left André Meyer in charge of American operations and along withFelix Rohatyn , they expanded Lazard Frères business to make it a leading Euro-American investment bank.Pierre David-Weill died in 1975. Despite converting to
Catholicism in the mid-1960s, he is interred with his wife in theJew ish section of theCimetière du Montparnasse in theMontparnasse Quarter of Paris.
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