Person | Male Born 1853 Died 1906

Alfred Beit

Categories: Industry, Philanthropy, Race Issues

Countries: Africa, Germany, South Africa

Co-founder and funder (with Sir Julius Wernher) of the Royal School of Mines building.

Born Hamburg, learnt the diamond trade in Amsterdam and went to Kimberley where he met Wernher and Cecil Rhodes. In 1884 he and Wernher converted the firm Jules Porgès & Co into Wernher, Beit & Co. On his death he left vast sums of money for education and research in South Africa, Rhodesia, Britain and Germany.

His brother Otto, also made a fortune in the diamond trade. See Otto's page for the difficulties this is causing Imperial College in 2021.

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Alfred Beit

Commemorated ati

Imperial College - Beit

Beit

See other memorials in this area

Other Subjects

Sir Otto Beit

Financier, philanthropist, and art connoisseur. Born Berlin. Younger brother to Alfred and made his fortune the same way: mining diamonds. Came to London in 1896 and took British citizenship. G...

Person, Industry, Philanthropy, Race Issues, Germany

1 memorial

Grunwick workers strike

Grunwick was a photographic film processing firm. 90% of its employees were either of Asian or Afro-Caribbean origin and working conditions were oppressive. Following the sacking of an employee for...

Event, Industry, Politics & Administration, Race Issues

1 memorial

Matchgirls' strike

A strike of the women and teenage girls working at the Bryant and May Factory. Annie Besant had published an article about the poor working conditions at the factory, 'White Slavery in London'. Thi...

Event, Gender Issues, Industry, Social Welfare

5 memorials

National Union of Public Employees

Group, Industry, Social Welfare

1 memorial

William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme

Soap magnate and philanthropist, founder of Port Sunlight, near Liverpool. Born 6 Wood Street, Bolton, Lancashire. Known for his patronage of the arts and paternalistic social policies, he was also...

Person, Industry, Philanthropy, Race Issues

1 memorial