Moritz von Bethmann

Philipp Heinrich Moritz Alexander von Bethmann (from 1854: Freiherr von Bethmann), born 8 October 1811 in Frankfurt am Main, died 2 December 1877 in Frankfurt am Main, was a German banker.

The oldest son of Simon Moritz von Bethmann (1768–1826) and Louise Friederike née Boode was only 15 years old when his father died.

Together with the House of Rothschild, he established three railroad companies in succession: Taunus-Eisenbahn AG in 1836, Frankfurt-Hanauer Eisenbahn in 1844, and the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Nordbahn.

In 1863 he hosted the assembly of German princes in his garden house.

Von Bethmann, who had to cope with a lifelong handicap due to a hip impediment, was married to Maria née Freiin von Bose (1819–1882), with whom he had two sons and three daughters, among them Ludwig Simon Moritz Freiherr von Bethmann, who was named after his grandfather Simon Moritz and who would later take the reins as the head of the House of Bethmann.