Leo Wise (October 28, 1849 – January 27, 1933) was a Jewish-American newspaper editor and publisher.

Life

Wise was born on October 28, 1849 in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

, the son of Rabbi

Isaac Mayer Wise Isaac Mayer Wise (29 March 1819, Lomnička – 26 March 1900, Cincinnati) was an American Reform rabbi, editor, and author. At his death he was called "the foremost rabbi in America". Early life Wise was born on 29 March 1819 in Steingrub in B ...

and Theresa Bloch. He moved to

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

with his family in 1854, where his father became rabbi of what later became known as the

Isaac M. Wise Temple The Isaac M. Wise Temple (formerly the Plum Street Temple) is the historic synagogue erected for Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise and his congregation in Cincinnati, Ohio. Wise was among the founders of American Reform Judaism. The temple building was de ...

. In 1863, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, Wise briefly served in the River Flotilla of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. He attended

St. Xavier College A multitude of schools and universities have been named after St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish Roman Catholic saint and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. This page lists notable educational institutions named after St. Xavier, arranged by country a ...

and Farmers College in Cincinnati,

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, and the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. He graduated from Farmers College with an

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in 1867 and from the University of Michigan with an

LL.B. Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

in 1869. In 1872, he became one of the original prospectors of the diamond fields in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. At

Du Toit's Pan Du Toit's Pan, now usually Dutoitspan, is one of the earliest diamond mining camps at what is now Kimberley, South Africa. It was renamed Beaconsfield, which existed as a separate borough from Kimberley itself until Kimberley and Beaconsfield wer ...

, he opened a new digging initially called New Rush and later became the famous Colesberg Kopje in the Kimberley district. He spent time sailing around the world, spending time with the bushmen in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Wise returned to the United States in 1875. While he previously studied law at the University of Michigan, he never practiced it. Instead, he became associated with ''Die Deborah'' and ''

The American Israelite ''The American Israelite'' is an English-language Jewish newspaper published weekly in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1854 as ''The Israelite'' and assuming its present name in 1874, it is the longest-running English-language Jewish newspaper stil ...

'', both of which were founded by his father. He was publisher of ''Die Deborah'' from until 1890, and from 1900 to 1928 he was managing editor and publisher of ''The American Israelite''. He was also publisher of the ''American Jews' Annual'', a yearly publication devoted to literature and belletristics from 1884 to 1892. He went to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

several times to protest Russian exclusion of American Jews who wanted to visit that country, and in 1882 he helped around 150 Jewish immigrants settle on

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

farm lands. He established the ''Chicago Israelite'' in 1885 and served as its publisher. He also published most of his father's books. Wise was Master of District No. 2 of

B'nai B'rith B'nai B'rith International (, from he, בְּנֵי בְּרִית, translit=b'né brit, lit=Children of the Covenant) is a Jewish service organization. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the security and continuity of the Jewish peopl ...

and a member of the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

. He attended Congregation B'nai Yeshurun. In 1886, he married Pauline Goodman. They had no children. Wise died at his home in the Hotel Alms on January 27, 1933, within a week of his wife's death. Rabbi

James G. Heller James Gutheim Heller (January 4, 1892 – December 19, 1971) was an American rabbi and composer. Life Heller was born on January 4, 1892, in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Rabbi Maximilian Heller and Ida Marks. Heller graduated ...

conducted the funeral service at the Weil Funeral Home. He was buried in the

United Jewish Cemetery United Jewish Cemetery is a Reform Jewish cemetery, located at 3400 Montgomery Road in the Evanston neighborhood, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The cemetery was opened by members of Bene Israel and B'nai Jeshurum congregations in 1862. The first burial wa ...

References

1849 births 1933 deaths 19th-century American Jews 20th-century American Jews American Reform Jews Jewish American attorneys Union Navy sailors People from Albany, New York Lawyers from Cincinnati Xavier University alumni Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni University of Michigan Law School alumni 19th-century American newspaper founders 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Publishers (people) of German-language newspapers in the United States Editors of Ohio newspapers 19th-century American newspaper editors 20th-century American newspaper editors Burials in Ohio {{DEFAULTSORT:Wise, Leo