David de Stern
David Stern (1807–1877), Viscount de Stern in the Portuguese nobility
1807 He was born at Frankfurt, a son of Jacob Samuel H. Stern (1780–1833), an eminent Frankfurt wine merchant, and his wife, Theresia (d.1850).
c.1833 David moved to London and seems to have been joined by his brother Herman in the 1840s where they soon became successful merchant bankers, specializing in the provision of long-term finance in the form of bond issues and company promotions.
1841 David married Sophia Goldsmid (d.1900).
1863 The firm of Stern Brothers undertook its first public bond issue for the kingdom of Portugal. The Sterns went on to make their name in Portuguese finance, but their clients also included the kingdoms of Italy and Spain, the Argentine and Peruvian republics, and the Danubian principalities. Essential to the Sterns' success was their ability to distribute bonds in continental markets; of the £2.5 million issued for Portugal in 1863, for example, only half was sold in London.
1869 Created Viscount by the Kingdom of Portugal
1877 Died in London
See Also
Sources of Information
- Biography of the Stern Family, ODNB