Sir Isaac Goldsmid

Financier
Isaac Goldsmid was a London bullion broker. He entered his father’s firm of Mocatta & Goldsmid, bullion brokers to the Bank of England and the East India Company. As a member of the stock exchange and amassed a large fortune, largely through financial dealings with Portugal, Brazil and Turkey. In 1841, he became the first Jewish baronet in the United Kingdom. For his help in settling a complex monetary dispute between Portugal and Brazil, the Portuguese government created him a baron in 1846. Aside from his financial affairs, Goldsmid's main effort was directed to Jewish emancipation.

Goldsimd died in 1859, leaving around £2m in cash and other assets plus land worth around £36,000 a year in income. In all, he was worth about £2.5m or equivalent to 0.39% of the £640m net national income, or in 2010 terms that would be £4.3bn.