Solomon Loeb was born in Germany in 1828. He emigrated to to the United States in 1849. He settled in Cincinnati where he became a successful dry goods merchant. He moved to New York City in 1865 and joined with Abraham Kuhn to start the Kuhn, Loeb and Company. His son-in-law, Jacob Schiff, took control of the company when he retired. Loeb died in 1903.