August von Finck Sr.

August von Finck Sr. (18 July 1898 – 22 April 1980) was a German banker. Due to his close connections with the Hitler's regime, he was called "Hitler's banker".

August von Finck, standing behind the lectern, performing the Nazi salute during the topping out ceremony of the Haus der Deutschen Kunst, 29 June 1935, in the presence of Adolf Hitler.

He was the son of Marie Fäustle and banker Vilhelm von Finck (1848–1924), founder of insurance giant Allianz and private bank Merck Finck & Co. Following the Anschluss of Austria to Nazi Germany, his business benefited greatly when the Nazis seized the Vienna-based firm of S M von Rothschild and in October 1939 sold it to Merck, Finck & Co. His son August von Finck Jr. sold the businesses to Barclays in 1990.

Biography

August von Finck was born 18 July 1898 in Kochel am See.[1] His father was Wilhelm von Finck (1848-1924), his mother Marie Fäustle (1865-1935).[2]

August von Finck had two sisters.[3] His brother, Wilhelm von Finck Jr. (1893-1916), was killed in action during World War I. After his brother's death, August von Finck enrolled in 1916 and served in the German army in the Balkans for two years.[4]

By will of his father Wilhelm, August became principal partner at Merck Finck after his father's death in 1924. August also inherited his father's other business holdings and a large amount of land.[4]

Von Finck, together with Kurt Schmitt, met Adolf Hitler for the first time 3 February 1931 in Berlin. At that meeting von Finck and Schmitt committed 5 million Reichsmark on behalf of Allianz to arm the SA in case of a leftist putsch.[5] In May 1933 von Finck became a member of the NSDAP.[6]

Between 1933 and 1938 Von Finck together with Nazi regime had led the hostile overtaking of multiple jewish owned companies across Germany and annexed Austria.

In 1941 he was a member of the board of directors of the Grossbetschkereker Zuckerfabriks-Aktiengesellschaft, a sugarfactory in Veliki Bečkerek (now Zrenjanin) in German occupied Serbia.[7] Von Finck divorced his first wife, Margot von Rücker, in 1942.[8][2] He became a member of the German advisory board for private banking in 1944.[9]

He bought Weinfelden Castle from a Jewish family in 1972 for 340.000 Swiss francs.[8]

August von Finck died 22 April 1980 in Möschenfeld, in the municipality Grasbrunn.[1]

Descendants

August von Finck had five children:

With Margot von Rücker, his first wife:[2]

  • Wilhelm von Finck (1927–2003)
  • August von Finck (1930–2021)
  • Eleonore Grziwa, née von Finck (25 November 1931 – 7 June 2014)[10]

With Gerda Mau, his second wife:[2]

  • Gerhard von Finck (born 1954)
  • Helmut von Finck (born 1959)

Notes and references
  1. August von Finck Sr. in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  2. De Jong 2022, p. 314.
  3. Hielscher, Henryk (27 July 2010). "Finck-Clan: Schlammschlacht ums Milliardenerbe". Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  4. De Jong 2022, p. 40.
  5. De Jong 2022, pp. 39–41.
  6. De Jong 2022, p. 61.
  7. "War Department Pamphlet No. 31-128, Civil Affairs Information Guide, German Penetration of Corporate Holdings in Serbia". Elimination of Nazi public agencies in Germany. 29 July 1944. p. 17.
  8. "Das Erbe des Schlossherrn". 22 January 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  9. "Wirtschaftsgruppe Privates Bankgewerbe: Erweiterter Beirat". Kölnische Zeitung. 19 March 1944. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  10. "Traueranzeigen von Eleonore Grziwa". 21 June 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2023.

Sources


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