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Theodor (Maurits) Metz

The economist Theodor Metz was an acquaintance of Otto Frank.

Person

  • Theodor Moritz Metz
  • Born on: June 30, 1890
  • Born in: Düsseldorf, Duitsland
  • Died on: Oct. 1, 1978
  • Died in: Den Haag, Nederland

Persoonlijkheden in het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden, Th. M. Metz, 1938.

Status onduidelijk

The economist Theodor Metz was an acquaintance of Otto Frank. In 1922 Metz married the artist Herta Baumgarten.[1] When Otto Frank died, Helga Baumgarten wrote a letter of condolences to Fritzi Frank. She herself was also a widow by this time.[2] Theodor Metz provided a reference during Otto Frank's application for naturalisation.[3] He also played a role in restoring relations with 'the enemy'.[4] After the First World War, Metz was Secretary of the First Dutch Merchant's Guild, and from 1926 Secretary of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce for Germany.[1] The Michael Frank Banking Business was a member of this chamber.[5]

In the early twenties he held consultation hours for Dutch businesses that were struggling to settle contracts in Germany.[6] At that time, even though growing numbers of Dutch-German commercial contracts were drawn up in Dutch guilders due to the growing devaluation of German currency, the number of conflicts was increasing. These disputes were mainly settled by Metz himself. He often came to the Netherlands to speak with stakeholders.[7]

On 5 May 1924 Otto Frank, Hortense Frank-Schott, Leni Elias-Frank and Erich Elias were his guests in Frankfurt. Edith Frank was there on 25 October 1930. Everyone signed the guest book. On 13 December 1959 Otto Frank signed the same guest book again.[8] Due to Otto's efforts, the Metz family took in two war orphans after 1945.[9]

Metz was involved in the Central Society for Trade and Industry when it was incorported in 1923 and later between 1927-1933; Otto Frank followed him in December 1933 as commissioner. In 1923 Metz has business relationships with Dimitri von Saher and Paul Stanfield, among others.[10]

The Commerce Chamber's headquarters were moved to The Hague in 1933 due to the changed political situation in Germany[11] and in April 1933, the Metz family moved to The Hague from Frankfurt am Main.[12] In May 1939 they were naturalised as Dutch citizens.[13] From then on his name was Theodoor Maurits Metz.[14]

Shortly after the German occupation of the Netherlands, the German authorities demanded that the Jewish employees of the Chamber be dismissed. Metz, wgo was Jewish, was therefore forced to 'voluntarily' resign, but subsequently started working as an 'advisor'. In reality, Metz continued to act as director. But this came to an end in 1943 when the Chamber of Commerce was closed by the Germans. That same year, Metz and his family were deported. During the last years of the war, the family was in various concentration camps, including Theresienstadt. The whole family survived.[14]

After 1945 he was appointed as a senior official at the Ministery of Economic Affairs.[1]  He was chairman of the Liberal Jewish Congregation in The Hague.[15] After the war, Metz co-wrote two publications about the German-Dutch Chamber of Commerce.[16]

Metz was approached by the Anne Frank House for advice on economic and German matters and qualified for a seat on the Supervisory Board.[17]

Source personal data.[14] Addresses: Unter den Eichen 12 , Frankfurt am Main; Thomsonlaan 170, The Hague,[12]  Kwartellaan 18 (1946).[1]

Footnotes

  1. a, b, c, d NIOD Instituut voor Oorlogs-, Holocaust- en Genocidestudies, Amsterdam, inv. nr. 292, N.V. Nederlandsche Opekta Maatschappij (Archief Opekta): Losse map belangrijke zaken Otto Frank).
  2. ^ Anne Frank Stichting (AFS), Anne Frank Collectie (AFC), Otto Frank Archief (OFA), reg. code OFA_065: Herta Metz-Baumgarten aan Fritzi Frank, 24 augustus 1980.
  3. ^ Nationaal Archief (NL-HaNA), Den Haag, Justitie / Verbaal en Kabinet, 2.09.22, inv.nr. 13402: Otto Frank aan Th. de Meester, 9 februari 1946.
  4. ^ NL-HaNA, Nederlands Beheersinstituut (NBI): Beheersdossiers, nummer toegang 2.09.16: Th. de Meester aan Nederlandsch Beheerinstituut, 7 januari 1946; NIOD, Archief 292, losse map belangrijke zaken Otto Frank.
  5. ^ Institut für Stadtgeschichte (Frankfurt am Main), Industrie- und Handelskammer, inv. nr. 176: Ledenlijst Nederlandsche Kamer van Koophandel voor Zuid-Deutschland.
  6. ^ "In Duitschland gesloten contracten", Amersfoortsch Dagblad, 16 december 1921.
  7. ^ "Nederlandsch-Duitsche Handelsgeschillen", Amersfoortsch Dagblad, 7 december 1922.
  8. ^ Gastenboek van het echtpaar Metz-Baumgarten, 1922-1964.
  9. ^ Mededeling Daniël Metz (kleinzoon), april 2010.
  10. ^ Noord-Hollands Archief, Haarlem, Handelsregister Amsterdam, Kamer van Koophandel Amsterdam, inv. nr. 3154, dossier 19874.
  11. ^ H.P. van den Aardweg, J.P.J.C. Hüllstrung (red.), Persoonlijkheden in het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden in woord en beeld. Nederlanders en hun werk, Amsterdam: Van Holkema & Warendorf, 1938, p. 1004.
  12. a, b Nationaal Archief, Den Haag (NL-HaNA), Ministerie van Justitie, Verbaalarchief, 1915-1955; Kabinetsarchief, 1915-1940, nummer toegang 2.09.22, inv. nr. 13402.
  13. ^ Verslag der Handelingen van de Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal, 1938-1939, 678-679.
  14. a, b, c Zie: 'Der erste Geschäftsführer - De eerste directeur: Theodoor Moritz Metz', in: Deutsch-Niederländische Handelskammer - Duits-Nederlandse Handelskamer: Chronik - Kroniek 1905-2015, Den Haag: Duits-Nederlandse Handelskamer, 2015, p. 8-9.
  15. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_322: Otto Frank aan Henri van Praag, 3 januari 1960.
  16. ^ Unter der Lupe, Probleme des deutschen Wirtschaftslebens. In Auftrage der Deutsch-Niederländischen Handelskammer redigiert von K. Albrecht, Th. M. Metz und G. Steuer (The Hague 1958); and Fünfzig Jahre Niederländische Handelskammer für Deutschland, 1905-1955. Im Auftrag des Vorstandes der Kammer verfasst von Th. M. Metz  (The Hague 1955).
  17. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_322: H.Th. Bakker aan Otto Frank, 26 juli 1960.