San Francisco County
Biographies
MAX PHILIP
LILIENTHAL
Among the older residents of San Francisco, Max Philip Lilienthal has a wide acquaintance, for he has lived here from the age of seven years and has won a place of prominence in investment banking circles of the city. Born in New York city, April 27, 1883, he is a son of Theodore Max Lilienthal and a nephew of the late Philip N. Lilienthal and the late Jesse W. Lilienthal, a sketch of the former appearing in this publication. Of American nationality, the father was born November 18, 1847, a son of Rabbi Max Lilienthal and Pepi (Nettre) Lilienthal, who were Bavarians. Rabbi Lilienthal was a man of broad sympathies and liberal culture and was chosen by the Russian minister of education as the founder of the first reform school for Jews in Russia. About 1837 he came to America, spending the remainder of his life in this country. The following tribute to his worth was paid by Dr. Philippson, of Cincinnati: “He was a Jew in religion, American in nationality, who championed throughout his life the causes of Jewish idealism and American liberty.” Sophie (Gerstle) Lilienthal, the mother of Max P. Lilienthal, was an American, born May 9, 1859, of the marriage of Lewis Gerstle and Hannah Greenebaum, who came to the United States from Bavaria, Germany.
Their grandson, Max P. Lilienthal, came to San Francisco in 1890 and was a pupil in the Pacific Heights grammar school from 1894 until 1898. Entering the Hitchcock Military Academy at San Rafael, California, he was a cadet there for two years and attended the Polytechnic high school in San Francisco from 1900 until 1902. He then enrolled in the University of California, completing his course in 1904, when he went abroad for the study of banking at the Comptoir National D’Escompte at Paris, where he spent a year, and continued his studies in the Lincoln-Menny-Oppenheimer Bank at Frankfort, Germany. Returning to the United States in 1906, he was with the Anglo-California Bank, Ltd., at San Francisco for three years as assistant manager of its branch, and from 1909 until 1917 was associated with the Anglo-California Trust Company in the capacities of secretary, cashier and director. Since 1917 he has been a member of the San Francisco Stock Exchange, devoting his attention to the stock and bond brokerage business, and his knowledge of matters pertaining thereto is comprehensive and exact. From 1918 until 1920 his business was conducted under the style of the Lilienthal-Brayton Company and since 1921 he has been the directing head of Lilienthal, Bremer & Company. They have built an enviable reputation for conservatism and stability in the security brokerage field.
On the 26th of September, 1909, Mr. Lilienthal was married in San Francisco to Miss Hilda Steinberger, who was born in this city September 20, 1885, a daughter of Adolph and Sophie (Goldstein) Steinberger, natives respectively of Germany and the United States and both now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Lilienthal have two sons, Theodore Max and Robert Phillip, who are at home. The family are members of the congregation of Temple Emanu-El and Mr. Lilienthal casts his ballot for the candidates of the republican party. In 1916 he went to the military training camp at Monterey, California, and sought service in the World war but was barred by defective hearing. He belongs to the California Tennis Club and to the San Francisco Stock Exchange Lunch Club. The prestige to which he has attained in his particular field is indicated in the fact that he was a member of the governing board of the San Francisco Stock Exchange from 1926 to 1928 and chairman of the institute committee of that body from 1925 to 1931. In movements which tend to raise the standards of American citizenship Mr. Lilienthal takes a deep interest and is a member of the executive board of San Francisco Area Council, Inc., Boy Scouts of America, and chairman of Camp Lilienthal committee of that council.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Source: Byington, Lewis Francis, “History of
San Francisco 3 Vols”, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.,
Chicago, 1931. Vol. 2 Pages 160-162.
© 2007 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
GOLDEN NUGGET'S SAN FRANCISCO
BIOGRAPIES