Marc Eugene Meyer

Marc Eugene Meyer (January 27, 1842 – January 17, 1925) was an American businessman and was president of Lazard Frères in the United States. Born in Strasbourg, France, he migrated to California as a teenager, living in San Francisco and Los Angeles until 1893 when he moved to New York City in his role with Lazard. He was awarded the Legion of Honor in 1920.

Early life Meyer was born to a Jewish family, the son of Sephora (née Loeb) and Isaac Meyer, in Strasbourg, France. His father was a rabbi and was a member of Strasbourg's civilian government; his grandfather Jacob, also a rabbi, was appointed by Napoleon I to the Congress of Jewish Notables to help delineate the legal status of French Jews. His brother-in-law, Zadoc Kahn, was the Grand Rabbi of France. In 1874, Meyer bought out Lazard's interest in the store (Kremer had previously sold his interest to Lazard), partnering with his brother, Constant Meyer, and Nathan Kahn (Cahn) renaming it Eugene Meyer & Company. In 1884, he sold the store and moved to San Francisco, where he replaced Alexandre Weill as president of Lazard Frères, (Elise was later widowed and remarried Brazilian ambassador Luis Martins de Souza Dantas in 1933 who saved more than 400 people helping to escape Nazi persecution). His daughter, Florence Meyer Blumenthal, married George Blumenthal. His son, Edgar Joseph Meyer (married to Leila Saks, the daughter of Andrew Saks), perished in the sinking of the RMS Titanic. His daughter Aline Meyer, married Charles Joseph Liebmann, the son of brewer Henry Liebmann and grandson of Samuel Liebmann. His granddaughters were Katharine Graham and Florence Meyer (daughters of his son Eugene Isaac). His great-grandson was Walter A. Haas Jr. (grandson of his daughter Rosalie), who served as president of Levi Strauss & Co.

Meyer died on January 17, 1925, at his home at 135 Central Park West, Manhattan.