David René de Rothschild
David René James de Rothschild (born December 15, 1942 in New York City, New York) is a banker and a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family of France. He is the son of Guy de Rothschild (b.1909) and his first wife, Alix Hermine Jeannette Schey de Koromla (1911-1982). David de Rothschild was born in the United States as a result of his parents having to escape the Nazis during the German occupation of France in World War II. While his mother remained in New York City throughout the war, his father went to England where he joined the Free French Forces. Following the liberation of France, the family returned to their home in Paris. His parents eventually divorced and from his father's second marriage he has a half-brother, Edouard.
In 1974, David de Rothschild married Olimpia Anna Aldobrandini (b. 1955) in Reux, Calvados. They have the following children:
- Lavinia Anne Alix (b. 1976)
- Stéphanie Anne Marie (b. 1977) married (2005) Augustin de Buffévent
- Alexandre Guy Francesco (b. 1980)
- Louise (b. c.1989)
The Rothschilds made their home in Normandy at Château Reux on the seigneury between the village of Reux and the small town of Pont-l'Évêque where David de Rothschild served as town mayor for 18 years. About 125 miles north of Paris, the place is France's preeminent horse breeding area and is close to Haras de Meautry, the breeding farm run by his brother Edouard.
Career in business
David de Rothschild was educated at Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris from which he graduated in 1966. He began his business career at Société miniére et métallurgique de Peñarroya, one of the family's international mining businesses headquartered in Paris. He then began training in de Rothschild Frères bank.
French government reform of banking regulations ended the legal distinction between banques d'affaires and deposit banks and in 1967 de Rothschild Frères became Banque Rothschild, a limited-liability company. David de Rothschild's father was an aggressive businessman who strove to expand the bank and their investments in mining and oil exploration as chairman of Imetal S.A.. However, the family fortunes suffered a severe setback following the election to the French Presidency of the socialist government of François Mitterrand in 1981. The new parliament nationalized a number of large companies and banks including that of the Rothschild family. An angry and discouraged 72-year-old Guy de Rothschild left France for a time and settled in New York City where the family had existing but limited business activities.
In an October 18, 2003 interview with George Trefgarne published in the The Spectator, David de Rothschild said that after nationalisation it took until 1986, when the Socialists lost power, for Rothschild family members to get a new banking license. In 1987 a successor company called Rothschild & Cie Banque was created by David de Rothschild who was joined by his half-brother Edouard and cousin Eric de Rothschild. Capitalized at only $1 million and starting with just three employees, they soon built their tiny investment bank into a major competitor in France and continental Europe.
In 2003, following the retirement of Sir Evelyn de Rothschild as head of N M Rothschild & Sons of London, the English and French firms merged to become one umbrella entity called "Group Rothschild." Ownership is now shared equally between the French and English branches of the family under the leadership of David de Rothschild.
David de Rothschild also owns a share of the Château Lafite-Rothschild vineyard but is not active in the day to day operations.
