Solomon Etting (28 July 1764 – 6 August 1847) was a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

merchant and politician in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. Before moving to Baltimore in 1791, Etting lived in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Maryland banned non-Christians from holding office or practicing law. In 1797, Etting and his father-in-law Bernard Gratz petitioned to “be placed upon the same footing with other good citizens" but were unsuccessful then, as well as in 1802 and 1824. Another partner in the fight was Baltimore banker Jacob I. Cohen Jr. Etting followed another Jewish immigrant, Jacob Henry, in the endeavor to attain public office.

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

denied public office to all non-Protestants, when in 1809, Henry made a speech which became famous, asserting his inalienable right to sit in the state's House of Commons, and the House took his part. Henry asked, "Will you drive from your shores and from the shelter of your constitution all who do not lay their oblations on the same altar, observe the same ritual, and subscribe to the same dogmas? If so, which among the various sects into which we are divided shall be the favored one?" Around 1820, there were about 4,000 Jews in the United States; only seven of the original 13 states recognized them politically. In 1826, the " Jew Bill" finally passed, allowing members of the Jewish faith to hold public office upon swearing to a belief in "the doctrine of reward and punishment" rather than the generally required declaration of belief in Christianity. Etting was then elected to the Baltimore City Council. At that time, the American Jewish population numbered 6,000. Solomon was one of eight children born to Shinah Solomon Etting and her husband Elijah Etting.

References

External links

Etting Cemetery – Explore Baltimore Heritage
1764 births 1847 deaths 18th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American businesspeople American merchants American people of German-Jewish descent Baltimore City Council members Jewish American people in Maryland politics Jews and Judaism in Baltimore People from York, Pennsylvania People from Lancaster, Pennsylvania Politicians from Baltimore {{US-business-bio-1760s-stub