Lazard Ltd
France (Lorraine) → USA
Finance, Banking & Insurance
Summary
Lazard was founded in 1848 by three brothers — Alexandre, Lazare, and Simon Lazard — from Frauenberg, in the Lorraine region of France. The brothers emigrated to New Orleans in the 1840s and opened a dry-goods business that grew into a banking partnership. They later expanded to San Francisco during the Gold Rush and then to Paris and London, building one of the first truly transatlantic financial firms. Lazard Ltd was established as the holding company in 2005 and listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and remains one of the world’s leading independent investment banks.
European Contribution
French and German-Jewish commercial banking traditions, especially the cross-border merchant-banking model of nineteenth-century Lorraine.
American Impact
Helped finance American post-Civil War industrialisation and remains a leading advisor on global mergers and acquisitions.
Timeline Highlights
- 1840s Lazard brothers emigrate to Louisiana
- 1848 Founded in New Orleans
- 1849 Move to San Francisco for the Gold Rush
- 1854–1870s Paris and London offices established
- 2005 Lazard Ltd lists on NYSE