English:
Ludwig Erdwin Seyler (1758–1836), merchant banker and politician from the city-republic of Hamburg. He was a son of the Swiss-born theatre director
Abel Seyler. Following his mother's death in 1764 he grew up in Hanover with his uncle, the natural scientist
J.G.R. Andreae. Ludwig Seyler joined the Berenberg Company as an apprentice in 1775 and on 20 May 1788 he married Anna Henriette Gossler, the eldest child of the company's owners
Johann Hinrich Gossler and
Elisabeth Berenberg. Immediately after the marriage his father-in-law made him a partner in the bank, thereby continuing a tradition of passing the company on to sons-in-law. To reflect him joining the partnership the bank's name was changed to Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co., a name that has remained unchanged since. Following his father-in-law's death in 1790, Seyler succeeded him as head of the firm, and served until his death in 1836, 61 years after he joined the firm and 48 years after he became a partner. His brother-in-law Johann Heinrich Gossler, 17 years his junior, joined him as a partner in 1798, and they jointly led the company, with L.E. Seyler as the more experienced partner. L.E. Seyler held many prominent public offices in Hamburg, especially during the Napoleonic era, when the Berenberg company's headquarters was moved to his own home. He was a Member of the Hamburg Parliament and President of the Commercial Deputation, one of the city-state's main political bodies, during the term 1817–1818; his brother-in-law became a Senator and his nephew later became head of state of the city-republic.