Felix Schuster

British banker, financier and politician (1854–1936)

Sir Felix Otto Schuster, 1st Baronet (21 April 1854 — 13 May 1936) was a British banker, financier and Liberal politician.

Biography

Schuster was born in the Free City of Frankfurt in 1854. His father was a merchant banker who converted from Judaism to Christianity.^[1] His mother died when he was around four years old.^[1] He was educated in Frankfurt, Geneva, and after his family moved to England in 1869, at Owens College, Manchester.^[1] He then went into business in London.^[1] He was on the Royal Commission on London Traffic 1903-5, Board of Trade Commission for the Amendment of Company Law 1905, India Office Committee on Indian Railway Finance and Administration 1907-8 and Treasury Committee on Irish Land Purchase Finance 1907-8. He was chairman of the Council of the Institute of Bankers, 1908-9, and of the Central Association of Bankers, 1913–15.^[1]

In 1906, as a staunch supporter of free trade at the time, he stood as a Liberal candidate at the general election for the constituency of the City of London.^[1] He was subject to antisemitic attacks from right-wing forces due to his political views and personal background.^[1]

In 1879, Schuster married Meta Weber, and they had five children.^[1] His grandchildren include the philosopher Mary Warnock and the diplomat Duncan Wilson.^[2]

On 13 May 1936, Schuster died at Ruthin Castle in Wales, from complications of anaemia and hypertension; he was 82.^[1]

Works

His works include:

Foreign Trade and the Money Market
Our Gold Reserves

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Davenport-Hines, Richard (2004). "Schuster, Sir Felix Otto, first baronet (1854–1936), banker". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35977. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
^ Brown, Andrew (19 July 2003). "The practical philosopher". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 October 2013.