Otto Petschek

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Otto Petschek
Photograph of Petschek with his wife, Martha
Born(1882-10-17)17 October 1882
Died2 July 1934(1934-07-02) (aged 51)
Vienna, Austria
Resting placeNew Jewish Cemetery, Prague
OccupationIndustrialist
SpouseMartha Popper
Children4
Parent(s)Isidor Petschek
Camilla Robitschek
RelativesFrank C. Petschek (cousin)
Julius Petschek (uncle)

Otto Petschek (17 October 1882 – 2 July 1934) was a European industrialist known for building the Petschek Villa in Prague.[1]

Early life[edit]

He was the eldest of four sons of Isidor Petschek and Camilla (née Robitschek) Petschek,[1] who were German speaking Jews.[2] His younger brothers were Paul (1886–1946), Friedrich (1890–1940) and Hans (1895–1968), who later served as president of the family's investment firm, United Continental Corporation.[3]

Among his family were uncles Julius Petschek and Ignaz Petschek, all of whom were originally from Kolín. Among his first cousins was Frank C. Petschek,[4] a son of his uncle Ignaz.[5]

Career[edit]

The Petschek family founded various international mining and chemical enterprises in Prague,[6] Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic). Their concern controlled also 30% of the German and, in total, almost 50% of the European brown coal mining industry in the years after World War I.[7] In 1920, his uncle Julius founded the Petschek Brothers Bank (Bankhaus Petschek & Co.). Between 1923 and 1929, the family built Petschek Palace. His cousin Walter (Julius' son) and Otto's brother Hans Petschek ran the company until 1938 when they moved to New York as a consequence of the Munich Agreement.[1]

After the death of his uncle, Ignatz Petschek, Otto was considered the head of the Petschek family.[6]

Personal life[edit]

The Petschek Villa in Prague.

Petschek was married to Magda "Martha" Popper, the daughter of JUDr. Julius Popper. An optimist, Otto built the Petschek Villa in Prague in the early 1920s between the two World Wars.[8] Today is home to the U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic.[9] Together, they were the parents of four children:[1]

  • Viktor Petschek (1914–2005), who married Miriam Rachel "Mary" Fogelman.[10]
  • Eva Petschek (1920–2014),[11] who married the journalist Robert B. Goldmann, an immigrant from Germany. She lived in New York City.[12]
  • Rita Petschek (1922–2006), who married Alexandre Kafka, son of Bruno Kafka, a member of the parliament of Czechoslovakia .
  • Ina Louise Petschek (b. 1922), who married Adolf Schlesinger.[13]

Petschek died on 2 July 1934 in Vienna, Austria.[6] He was buried at the New Jewish Cemetery in Prague.[14] His widow died on 9 May 1940 in Toronto, Canada.[15]

Descendants[edit]

In December 1966, Otto's granddaughter, Angela Conway Petschek, was married to Alain Patrick Maze-Sencier of Paris and New York, the Count de Brouville. Alain was a son of Jean Maze-Sencier and the late Nicole Maze-Sencier, Countess de Brouville.[16][17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Eisen, Norman (2019). The Last Palace: Europe's Turbulent Century in Five Lives and One Legendary House. Crown/Archetype. ISBN 9780451495792. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  2. ^ Bauer, Maria (2016). Beyond the Chestnut Trees: A Memoir. KCM Publishing. p. 216. ISBN 9781939961396. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  3. ^ Times, Special to The New York (7 January 1968). "HANS PETSCHEK". The New York Times.
  4. ^ "FRANK C. PETSCHEK". The New York Times. 27 June 1963. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  5. ^ Petschek family on yivo encyclopedia
  6. ^ a b c Agency.), (Jewish Telegraphig (3 July 1934). "Otto Petschek" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  7. ^ Profit.cz: Uhelný magnát jsem já!
  8. ^ "Former Ambassador Norman Eisen to Speak at Amram Scholar Series" (PDF). Washington Hebrew Congregation Journal. 59 (10): 12. November 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  9. ^ "Ambassador's Residence | U.S. Embassy in The Czech Republic". cz.usembassy.gov. U.S. Embassy in The Czech Republic. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Paid Notice: Deaths PETSCHEK, VIKTOR". The New York Times. 24 May 2005. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  11. ^ "GOLDMANN--Eva Petschek". The New York Times. March 28, 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  12. ^ Goldmann, Robert B. (1997). Wayward Threads. Northwestern University Press. p. 131. ISBN 9780810115026. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  13. ^ "SCHLESINGER--Ina (Petschek)". The New York Times. July 17, 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  14. ^ "Petschek, European Industrial Leader, Dies in Sanatorium". www.jta.org. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 4 July 1934. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  15. ^ Moorehead, Caroline (August 30, 2018). "'The Last Palace' Review: History Happened Here". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  16. ^ "Alain Patrick Maze-Sencier To Marry Angela Petschek" (PDF). The New York Times. 16 October 1966. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  17. ^ "Angela C. Petschek Is Married to Count" (PDF). The New York Times. 4 December 1966. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
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