New York, the metropolis : its noted business and professional men. . ilding hosintals for its physical, necessi-ties. He was born June 2. 1827, near the town of Pforz-heim. Baden, Germany. His father, a farmer, descendedfrom a line of farmers, though obliged to struggle hard andcontinuously for a living, managed nevertheless to give hissix children, of whom Philip was the eldest, as good an edu-cation as the schools of their native town could afford, butwhen fourteen the lad, in accordance with German usage,was ap])renticed to Theodore Lenz & Co., engaged in thejewelry trade. The Revolution o
New York, the metropolis : its noted business and professional men. . ilding hosintals for its physical, necessi-ties. He was born June 2. 1827, near the town of Pforz-heim. Baden, Germany. His father, a farmer, descendedfrom a line of farmers, though obliged to struggle hard andcontinuously for a living, managed nevertheless to give hissix children, of whom Philip was the eldest, as good an edu-cation as the schools of their native town could afford, butwhen fourteen the lad, in accordance with German usage,was ap])renticed to Theodore Lenz & Co., engaged in thejewelry trade. The Revolution of 1848 played havocwith business in Germany, and Mr. Lenz decided to go toAmerica in search of new markets. One day he invitedPhilip to dinner, and much to the youths surprise, said hewould have to take charge of the business until his return,whereat young Bissingers surprise changed to astonish-ment. Mr. Lenz sailed away, and Philip conducted thebusiness so successfully that he was appointed bookkeejjeron his principals return. A year rolled over, and Phili]),. IHILII BISSINGER. thinking he also would see a little life himself, obtained aposition with the extensive jewelry house of \\iiliam KaemjjffiV Co. He came to New York on December 16, 1849,and that very day unpacked his goods and went round insearch of buyers. After four years of unremitting toil heestablished himself in business at No. 13 John Street, wherehe has attained a national reputation as a dealer in dia-monds. When the great stream of Cierman immigrationbegan to flow westward, he saw that, if his thousandsof countrymen settling down every year in this city wereto have scojje for their commercial activity, it would benecessary they should have a bank of their own. In ourday, when the Germans are so i)Otent a factor in our Na-tional life, this may seem a small affair, but, all the same, ittook a long and bitter struggle to a( ( omi)lish it thirty orforty years ago. However, through the energy of Mr. Bis-singer a
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