Henry Lehman (born Hayum Lehmann; September 29, 1822 – November 17, 1855)[1] was a German-born American businessman and the founder of Lehman Brothers, which grew from a cotton and fabrics shop during his life to become a large finance firm under his brothers' descendants.
[4] He settled in Montgomery, Alabama, and opened a dry goods store named, "H.
Lehman, particularly, presented himself as a friend to the farmers, who believed that the banks only lend money to merchants and middlemen.
[6] He bartered with skills that he learned from dealing with farmers in the Bavarian countryside and accepted cotton as payment for borrowed money.
[8] Later, his brothers moved the company's headquarters to New York City, eventually building it into an important American investment bank, which was in operation for over 150 years until its September 15, 2008, collapse.