Michel Ephrussi

Michel Ephrussi
Born May 10, 1844
Odessa, Russian Empire
Died January 5, 1914 (aged 69)
Paris, France
Residence Paris, France
Occupation Banker, investor, racehorse owner/breeder
Board member of
 Banque Ephrussi
Religion Judaism
Spouse(s) Amélie Wilhelmine Liliane Beer (Baer) (1850-1914)
Children Louise Nadine (1873-1888)
Louis Alexandre (1878-1880)
Marie Juliette (1880-1964)
Parent(s) Charles Joachim Ephrussi (1792-1864) & Henriette Halperson (1822-1888)
Relatives Siblings: Léon, Ignaz, Maurice, Thérèse, Marie

Michel Ephrussi (May 10, 1844 - January 5, 1914) was a Russian-born French banker who also bred and raced Thoroughbreds.

A member of the Russian-Jewish Ephrussi family, Michel was born in the free port of Odessa where his father founded the Ephrussi Bank and was involved in the exporting of wheat. Trained in the banking business, Michel Ephrussi's elder half-brother, Ignaz, was sent to Vienna to open the Ephrussi & Co. bank while Michel and his younger brother Maurice were sent to open a branch in Paris, France.

On December 23, 1872, in Paris, Michel Ephrussi married Belgian-born Amélie Wilhelmine Liliane Beer, a niece of composer Jacob Liebmann Beer. The couple had three children and made their home at 81 rue de Monceau in the 8th arrondissement of Paris.

Michel Ephrussi was a close business associate of the Rothschilds in Paris, and his brother Maurice married Béatrice de Rothschild. In 1900, Michel Ephrussi became embrolied in a conflict over possibly anti-semitic remarks made by the Count Guy de Lubersac towards Robert de Rothschild. On April 4, 1900 Ephrussi and the Count fought a duel with swords on Île de la Jatte in the Seine River at Neuilly in which Ephrussi was wounded in the chest but soon recovered.

Beyond banking, Michel Ephrussi had other investments including the Hôtel Pompadour at Fontainebleau and was an investor in Guapo Trinidad Oil Co. Ltd. A supporter of the fledgling aviation industry, Michel Ephrussi provided funding for a prize in his name at the 1910 Rheims Aviation Meeting.

Thoroughbred racing

Michel Ephrussi and his brother Maurice were both involved in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing. Michel notably owned Finasseur, winner of the 1905 Grand Prix de Paris, at the time France's most prestigious race. Other wins by Michel Ephrussi's horses include: