 Following in the footsteps of his famous ancestor Simon Moritz, Johann Philipp Freiherr von Bethmann in 1994 praised Mayer Amschel Rothschild and his sons for their achievements.The occasion was Hans Sarkowicz' book "Die großen Frankfurter", in which well-known Frankfurt personages were invited to describe notable citizens of Frankfurt and their achievements.In his essay for the book, Bethmann notes the initial rivalry between the two Houses as bankers to the Landgrave and Elector of Hesse, which however soon gave way to preferment of Rothschild.