Harry Frederick Oppenheimer

Harry Frederick Oppenheimer ( born October 28, 1908 in Kimberley, † 19 August 2000 Johannesburg) was a South African businessman and one of the wealthiest people in the world.

Life

Oppenheimer is the son of mine mogul Ernest Oppenheimer, who originally came from Germany and settled with his family in Kimberley, South Africa. The city was at the center of diamond mining. He lived most of his life in Johannesburg. After Oppenheimer had completed primary school in Johannesburg, he went to England and attended the Charterhouse School, in order to subsequently enroll as a student at Christ Church College in Oxford. He graduated in 1931 at the University of Oxford in philosophy, politics and economics. When he married his wife Bridget McCall, he decided to join the Anglican Church. He later organized supplies of diamonds to Israel and so helped the local diamond manufacturers.

Oppenheimer was very heavily involved in the diamond trade and had its operations throughout the world through his " Diamond Trading Company " and its " Diamond Producers Association ".

In 1993 he founded the " Oppenheimer Fund" at Oxford University. This fund promotes the relationship between the universities of Oxford and South Africa. It allows Studentenaustasuch between these two universities .. Harry Oppenheimer was over a quarter of a century until 1982 chairman of the mining company Anglo American. Even with De Beers Consolidated Mines, he was for 27 years as chairman, until he stopped in 1984. His son Nicky Oppenheimer became Deputy Chairman in 1983 Anglo American and took over the presidency in 1998 by De Beers. In the 1970s and 1980s, he financed the liberal, fighting against apartheid Progressive Federal Party, which merged into the Democratic Alliance. Later, Oppenheimer confidant of Nelson Mandela.

Diamond Museum

In Tel Aviv, the Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Museum, a museum about the history and processing of diamonds in Israel, as well as a small exhibition of jewelry is.