Rudolf Goldschmid Sonneborn

http://rudolfsonneborn.blogspot.com/

Commissioned in the fledgling Naval Air Corp. in 1918 (WWI). Trained as an aviator, but the war ended before the training ended.
Chairman of the Board of Sonneborn Chemical and Refining Co.

From Bacharach Kestrich Family Tree:
Notes for RUDOLF GOLDSCHMID SONNEBORN:
Head of the "Sonneborn Institute" which gathered surreptitiously supplies, munitions and ships for liberation of Palestine (Israel). He was personally contacted by David Ben-Gurion who met with him and the other men at Sonneborn's apartment in NYC on July 18, 1945. The most famous ship was the EXODUS.
Family: S. Siegmund B. and Camille K. (Goldschmid) S.; m. 2d. Dorothy Schiff, 1953.
Education: student, Park Sch., Johns Hopkins U., 1918; postgrad.,Harvard Bus. Sch., 1919-20.
Memberships: Nat. Petroleum Assn. (trustee), Pa. Grade Crude Oil Assn. (dir.), Am. Petroleum Inst. (past dir.), Advertising Club, Johns Hopkins Club, Pinnacle Club, Oil City Club, Twenty-Five Yrs. of Petroleum industry, Harvard Bus. Sch. Club, Young Men's Philanthropic League.
Addresses: Home, New York, NY. Positions Held: pres., Sonneborn Chem. and Refining Co. (became part of Witco Chem. Co. Inc., 1960), until 1960; dir., sec., treas., Sonneborn Chem. and Refining Co. (became part of Witco Chem. Co. Inc., 1960). Career-Related: pres., dir. Petroleum Transport & Trading Corp., Sonneborn Assocs. Petroleum Corp., N.Y. Post Corp., Sonapco Bank St. Corp. Alliance Indsl. Devel. Corp., Alliance Industries Inc., Pan Alliance Corp., Del Amkor Corp., Ampak-Am.Israel Corp., Israel Devel. Corp., Israel Am. Indsl Devel. Bank Ltd., Palestine Econ. Corp., Am. Israeli Fin. Corp.; chmn. bd. Am. Palestine Trading Corp.; pres. Israel Am. Petroleum Corp.; founder Material for Israel; dir. Am. Com. for Weizmann Inst. Sci., Am. Friends of Hebrew U., Coun. Jewish Fedns. & Welfare Funds; treas., dir. Breth Found., Bezalel Found.; dir. Hirschman Found., Post Found; nat. chmn. United Jewish Appeal, 1950-44; hon. co-chmn. United Jewish Appeal Greater N.Y.; past pres. Oil Trades Assn. Inc., N.Y.

Lived in the Regency Hotel 525 E 86th St in the 60s-70s. Also had a country home, Twin Hills, in Danbury, CT.

"California, County Marriages, 1850-1953", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K864-8S4 : 18 August 2022), Rudolf Goldschmid Sonneborn and Dorothy Schiff, 1953.

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Sereral "sources" erroneously give his birthdate as June 20. It was the 22nd. He celebrated annually witj a big elegant dinner party at The Regency Hotel, where he lived. with all the family (ages 13 and up, though that was relaxed in later years), distant cousins , and close friends. These parties are the reason so many cousins have met and maintained contact.

License TO MARRY Dorothy Schiff was ISSUED on 8/18/1953. The marriage may have taken place several days or weeks later. Ignore the conflicting data.

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