- Ernest Oppenheimer
Sir Ernest Oppenheimer (
22 May 1880 –25 November 1957 ) was adiamond andgold mining entrepreneur financier and philanthropist, who controlled De Beers and founded the Anglo American Corporation ofSouth Africa .He was born in Friedberg, Germany, the son of Edward Oppenheimer, a
cigar merchant. Oppenheimer began his working life at 17, when he entered Dunkelsbuhler & Company, a diamond brokerage inLondon . His efforts impressed his employer and in 1902, at the age of 22, he was sent to South Africa to represent the company as a buyer in Kimberley.He died in
Johannesburg in 1957. He was bornJew ish but as an adult converted to Christianity and was buried at St George's Church, Parktown. He was succeeded in the business by his sonHarry Oppenheimer . Oppenheimer's brother, Sir Bernard Oppenheimer, was also heavily involved in the diamond industry.ee also
*
Solomon Joel
*Joel family
*Gustav Imroth External links
* [http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/people/bios/oppenheimer-e.htm Sir Ernest Oppenheimer @ South African History Online]
* [http://www.debeersgroup.com/DeBeersWeb/html/iframe/1900-1940.html History of Sir Ernest beginnings @ De Beers]
* [http://www.farlang.com/diamonds/gregory-oppenheimer-biography/page_002 Biography Ernest Oppenheimer online version] Gregory, Ernest Oppenheimer and the Economic Development of South Africa, Cape Town University Press, New York, 1965
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