Ernest Oppenheimer
South African mining magnate who built a diamond monopoly.
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Born on 22 May 1880 and dying on 25 November 1957, Sir Ernest Oppenheimer was a South African entrepreneur in diamond and gold mining, a financier, and a philanthropist; he held control over De Beers and established the Anglo American Corporation.[1]
Key facts and history
Oppenheimer began his working life at 17 at a London diamond brokerage and was sent to South Africa as a buyer in 1902.[2][3] He was elected to the Kimberley city council in 1908 and became mayor from 1912 to 1915.[3][2] In 1917, with William Lincoln Honnold and financial assistance from J. P. Morgan, he launched the Anglo American Corporation.[4][3] He gained control of De Beers in 1927 and became its chairman in 1929.[5]
Oppenheimer married Mary Lina Pollak in 1906 in a Jewish ceremony in London.[6][7] In 1921, he received a knighthood.[4] Oppenheimer won a seat in the House of Assembly as the Kimberley representative in 1924 and remained in that position until 1938.[5][3] Following the death of his wife in 1934, Oppenheimer wed Caroline Harvey two years later.[3]
After experiencing personal tragedies, he adopted the Anglican faith around the middle of the 1930s.[7]
What the cited sources add
The South African History Online account notes that Oppenheimer was the first to provide adequate housing for Black mineworkers and their families on copper mines in Northern Rhodesia.[3] It states he was instrumental in creating a cartel that controlled diamond prices and formed the Central Selling Organization.[3] The same source reports that Oppenheimer served on commissions that led to the creation of the South African Reserve Bank.[3] The Feinberg article describes that Oppenheimer was forced to flee Kimberley in 1915 after the sinking of the Lusitania.[7]
It also states that his son Harry Oppenheimer may have converted to Anglicanism later in life, but his roots were deeply Jewish.[7]
References
- Wikipedia, "Ernest Oppenheimer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rajak, "In Good Company: An Anatomy of Corporate Social Responsibility", Stanford University Press, 2011-11-09; Vertigans, "Corporate Social Responsibility: Academic Insights and Impacts", Springer, 2016-08-02; "Sir Ernest Oppenheimer South African industrialist", Encyclopedia Britannica (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ernest Oppenheimer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Feinberg, "Oppenheimer’s Jewish facet shines brightly", sajr.co.za; "Sir Ernest Oppenheimer", The Times of London, 26 November 1957; "Sir Ernest Oppenheimer", The Times of London, 26 November 1957; "Sir Ernest Oppenheimer", The Times of London, 26 November 1957; "Ernest Oppenheimer", South African History Online, 17 February 2011; "Sir Ernest Oppenheimer", The Times of London, 26 November 1957 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Ernest Oppenheimer", South African History Online, 17 February 2011. facts only, no text reused. sahistory.org.za
- Wikipedia, "Ernest Oppenheimer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Guide to the William L. Honnold Papers", oac.cdlib.org; "Sir Ernest Oppenheimer", The Times of London, 26 November 1957 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ernest Oppenheimer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sir Ernest Oppenheimer", The Times of London, 26 November 1957; "Sir Ernest Oppenheimer", The Times of London, 26 November 1957; "Sir Ernest Oppenheimer", The Times of London, 26 November 1957; "Sir Ernest Oppenheimer", The Times of London, 26 November 1957; Janine P. Roberts, "Glitter & Greed", The Disinformation Company, 2003 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ernest Oppenheimer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Feinberg, Tali (29 June 2023). Oppenheimer’s Jewish facet shines brightly The South African Jewish Report. Retrieved on 11 February 2025; "Sir Ernest Oppenheimer", The Times of London, 26 November 1957 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Feinberg, "Oppenheimer’s Jewish facet shines brightly", sajr.co.za. facts only, no text reused. sajr.co.za
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Ernest Oppenheimer (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Ernest Oppenheimer (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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