Abraham Senior Teixeira

Teixeira was a Portuguese marrano financier and diplomat. He was born in Lisbon, the son of Dom Francisco de Meló and Donna Antonia de Silva Teixeira, lady-in-waiting to the Queen.

In 1643 he moved to Antwerp, where he became consul and paymaster for the government of Spain. After moving to Hamburg, he and his sons were circumcised; this caused a scandal, and led to an (unsuccessful) attempt by the imperial Viennese court to confiscate his property. Teixeira established an international banking house in Hamburg and took a leading role in Jewish affairs there, serving as the head of the city's Sephardi congregation. From 1655 he was resident diplomatic and financial minister for the Swedish crown in Hamburg.