S. Bleichröder was a German family-controlled bank based in Berlin, founded in 1803 by Samuel Bleichröder. As an agent of the German Rothschild Bank, it was developed by Samuel's son Gerson von Bleichröder, who became known as "Bismarck's banker".
The firm declined in importance in the early 20th century and was eventually acquired in 1931 by Dresden-based Arnhold Brothers to form Arnhold and S. Bleichroeder.
History
Samuel Bleichröder (1779–1855), who came from an observant Jewish family originally based in Bleicherode, a town in historical Saxony and currently in Thuringia, founded a currency exchange business on Rosenthaler Strasse in the center of Berlin. The firm rose to significance in 1828, when it became the Berlin agent of Frankfurt-based M. A. Rothschild & Söhne. Bleichröder subsequently became a significant financier to the Kingdom of Prussia, and in 1845 was also involved in financing the Cologne-Minden Railway Company.
From 1855 onwards, Samuel's son Gerson Bleichröder (1822-1893), who was also an observant Jew, continued the business, while his brother Julius Bleichröder left around 1860 and founded his own banking firm. Gerson Bleichröder made S. Bleichröder prominent in the transfer of credits or placing of loans on behalf of the Prussian state and, from 1871 on, of the German Empire. He also managed the private banking transactions of Otto von Bismarck.