Jacob Schiff

Jacob Schiff
1903 portrait of Schiff by Aimé Dupont
Senior Partner, Kuhn Loeb & Co
In office 1885 – September 25, 1920
Succeeded by	Mortimer Leo Schiff
Personal details
Born	Jakob Heinrich Schiff (1847-01-10)January 10, 1847 Frankfurt, German Confederation
Died	September 25, 1920(1920-09-25) (aged 73) Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Citizenship	German (1847–1870) American (1870–1920)
Spouse	Therese Loeb ​ (m. 1875)​
Children	Frieda Schiff (1876–1958) Mortimer L. Schiff (1877–1931)
Occupation	Banker and businessman

Jacob Henry Schiff (born Jakob Heinrich Schiff; January 10, 1847 – September 25, 1920) was a German-born American banker, businessman, and philanthropist. He helped finance the expansion of American railroads and the Japanese military efforts against Tsarist Russia in the Russo-Japanese War.

Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Schiff migrated to the United States after the American Civil War and joined the firm Kuhn, Loeb & Co.^[1] From his base on Wall Street, he was the foremost Jewish leader from 1880 to 1920 in what later became known as the "Schiff era", grappling with all major Jewish issues and problems of the day, including the plight of Russian Jews, American and international antisemitism, care of needy Jewish immigrants, and the rise of Zionism.^[2][3] He also became a director of many important corporations, including the National City Bank of New York, Equitable Life Assurance Society, Wells Fargo & Company, and the Union Pacific Railroad. In many of his interests he was associated with E. H. Harriman.