The Society for Business History mourns the passing of Friedrich von Metzler, who died in Frankfurt am Main on November 17, 2024.

Friedrich von Metzler, who as personally liable partner shaped Germany's oldest private bank Metzler for over five decades, had long and close ties to the Society for Business His-tory (GUG). He served on the board from 2001 to 2017 and was a member of our Board of Trustees from 2018 to 2023. In both roles, he showed great personal commitment to promo-ting research in business history and made significant contributions to conveying the im-portance of history for entrepreneurial action.

His conviction that engaging with the past creates responsibility for the present and provides important guidance for the future was particularly reflected in his dedication to the history of Metzler Bank as well as in his support of numerous projects researching the historical significance of businesses for the economy and society. A notable example of this attitude was Metzler Bank's decision in 1999 to forgo publishing a traditional commemorative publication for its 325th anniversary. Instead, in collaboration with the GUG, the book "Fi-nancial Center Frankfurt" was created, which remains a valuable and frequently consulted study to this day.
His influence in financial policy, society, and culture, for which he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit First Class and named an honorary citizen of Frankfurt in 2004, extended far beyond his hometown. With his passing, we lose an inspiring patron and generous individual whose advice and support were invaluable to the development of business history.

The Society for Business History will forever honor the memory of Friedrich von Metzler.

Our deepest sympathy goes out to his family and the employees of Metzler Bank.

Society for Business History (Gesellschaft für Unternehmensgeschichte e.V.)