Henry Lehman (c. 1822 – November 17, 1855) was a Jewish German-American businessman and the founder of Lehman Brothers.
Born Heinrich Lehmann to a cattle merchant in Rimpar, Bavaria, Lehman emigrated to the United States in 1844. He settled in Montgomery, Alabama, and opened a dry goods store named, "H. Lehman". [1] In 1847, following the arrival of his younger brother Emanuel Lehman, the firm became, "H. Lehman and Bro." With the 1850 arrival of Mayer Lehman, the youngest brother, the firm became "Lehman Brothers".
In those years, cotton was the most important crop of the Southern United States. Capitalizing on cotton's extremely high market value around the world, the Lehman brothers became cotton factors, accepting cotton bales from customers as payment for their merchandise. They eventually began a second business as traders in cotton. [1] Within a few years, this became the major part of their firm.
In 1855, Henry Lehman died from yellow fever while travelling in New Orleans. Later, his brothers moved the company's headquarters to New York City, eventually building it into an important American investment bank, which was in operation for over 150 years until its September 15, 2008 collapse.
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