Lotte Kahn

Lotte Kahn's father was a successful textile manufacturer who deposited his savings quite conservatively in the bank. Speculating with his hard-earned wealth would probably never have occurred to him. "He never bought stock or real estate in his life. It bothered me that he kept so much in savings accounts for only a few cents interest," Lotte Kahn recalled in an interview.

When the 25-year-old Lotte Landau married the lawyer Alfred Kahn in 1937, they were both aware that as Jews they had no future in Germany under the Nazi regime. In 1938, the couple emigrated via Holland to the United States. Shortly after arriving in New York, they invested in a closet accessories’ factory in 1939. Alfred Kahn became the president, Lotte Kahn the vice president and treasurer of the company. Fifteen years later, they sold the business, and Lotte Kahn began her apprenticeship with a brokerage firm. Lotte Kahn joined the Brokers Association in 1959, where she was often the only woman in meetings. But this did not intimidate her. Within a few years, she had become a successful stockbroker on Wall Street and published numerous books that became bestsellers. Among them was “Women and Wall Street”, arguably the first investment guidebook for women.

Further information and documents

Carol Kahn Strauss Family Collection; AR 25211

https://archives.cjh.org/repositories/5/resources/17288