Born in
Aachen in 1826 to German banker and railroad entrepreneur
David Hansemann, Adolph Hansemann developed an early interest in business administration. He left home for
Hamburg in 1841. He was a partner in his brother Gustav's textile factory in
Eupen,
Belgium, until leaving to help manage his father's
Disconto-Gesellschaft in 1857. After his father's death in 1864, Adolph Hansemann continued to develop it by himself, expanding it into the largest private bank in the
German Empire and one of the most famous in Europe. Along with
Gerson von Bleichroeder, he arranged the financing for the
Royal Prussian Army during the 1870
Franco-Prussian War; for his services, he was elevated to the peerage by
Kaiser Wilhelm I and appended the
von to his name. As a board member at
Krupp and chairman of the
Gelsenkirchen Mining Company (
Gelsenkirchener Bergwerks-AG), he participated in the growth of coal and steel industries in the
Ruhr valley. Like his father, he was also involved with the
German railroads, including the
Lehrte line, as well as lines in
Venezuela and
Romania. Taking advantage of
Bethel Strousberg's exposure there, Hansemann's greatest coup was working with Bleichroeder to purchase Strousberg's railways throughout Germany at a fraction of their real value. He was an advocate of
Germany's imperial expansion. He funded
Johann Cesar VI. Godeffroy's
Sea Trade Society (
Seehandels-Gesellschaft) plantations and with
Wilhelm Solf worked towards the establishment of
German Samoa. ,
German New Guinea, drawn by
Otto Finsch In May 1884, Von Hansemann, and a syndicate of German bankers formed the
New Guinea Consortium (
Neuguinea-Konsortium, later
Neuguinea-Kompanie) and
Astrolabe Company (
Astrolabe-Compagnie) which led to the establishment of
Kaiser-Wilhelmsland and
German New Guinea in the South Pacific. This syndicate was created with the knowledge and blessing of the German chancellor, Count
Otto von Bismarck, and with secrecy and speed an expedition was fitted out under Dr
Otto Finsch, an ornithologist and explorer. His task was to select land for plantation development on the north-east coast of New Guinea and establish trading posts. His Disconto Society funded the
Central Line in
German East Africa and the
Shantung Railroad in the
German concession of
Kiaochau,
China. Construction of his
Otavi Railroad in
German South-West Africa coincided with the
Herero genocide there. By this time Adolph von Hansemann was one of the richest men in the German Empire. Between 1887 and 1896, he modernized the
Rügen resort of
Sassnitz, the site of his castle
Dwasieden, at his own expense. He also maintained a villa in Berlin and another at
Lissa and purchased extensive tracts of land for his heirs. He married
Ottilie von Kusserow (:de:Ottilie von Hansemann), daughter of the
Prussian Lt. Gen. Ferdinand von Kusserow, early advocate of women's rights, and sister of
Heinrich von Kusserow (:de:Heinrich von Kusserow), who became the first head of colonial affairs for the
German Foreign Office. Adolph's children were
Ferdinand and Davide Eveline von Hansemann. In October 1903, he died at work at his desk; according to his secretary, his last words were, "Well, tomorrow we work on." == Sources ==