Ascher Silberstein (18 September 1852 – 17 December 1909) was born in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

on September 18, 1852. He came to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

at the age of 15 and settled in

Jefferson, Texas Jefferson is a city in Marion County, Texas, Marion County, in the U.S. state of Texas's Northeast Texas, northeastern region. With a population of 1,875 at the 2020 United States census, it is the county seat of Marion. History Almost every comm ...

, later moving to Dallas and was engaged in the

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

business. He was associated, at different times, with Ellis Cockrell and J.B. Wilson. Early in 1909, he was one of the organizers of the Trinity National Bank, which merged with the City National BankThe Trinity National Bank, co-organized by Robert Henry Stewart (1854-1936), later merged to become the City National Bank, then the First National Bank in Dallas, later becoming the InterFirst Corporation and the

First Republic Bank Corporation First Republic Bank Corporation was an American bank based in Texas. Founded as the Guaranty Bank and Trust Company in 1920, in 1922 it assumed the name Republic National Bank of Dallas. Afterwards the bank acquired several banks and invested i ...

. at the time of Silberstein's death. He built and was, for a number of years, president of the Dallas Oil and Refining Company. Silberstein was a quiet and unassuming man and a

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

contributor toward any worthy cause that was brought to his notice. When a meeting was held to raise funds for the flood victims in May 1907, he was one of the first to rise and say, "I will give a thousand dollars." Silberstein died suddenly on December 17, 1909. In his will, he bequeathed a very large amount of his estate to various

charitable The practice of charity is the voluntary giving of help to those in need, as a humanitarian act, unmotivated by self-interest. There are a number of philosophies about charity, often associated with religion. Etymology The word ''charity'' ori ...

and

educational institutions An educational institution is a place where people of different ages gain an education, including preschools, childcare, primary-elementary schools, secondary-high schools, and universities. They provide a large variety of learning environments an ...

, including the Buckner Orphans Home, the Dallas City Hospital, and the Dallas Public Schools.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Silberstein, Ascher 1852 births 1909 deaths Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States People from Jefferson, Texas 19th-century American philanthropists