Simon Wolf (October 28, 1836 – June 4, 1923) was a
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 ...
businessman, lawyer, writer, diplomat and Jewish activist.
Biography
Wolf was born in
Hinzweiler
Hinzweiler () is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Kusel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Lauterecken-Wolfstei ...
,
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria (german: Königreich Bayern; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German E ...
. He emigrated to the United States in 1848, making his home in
Uhrichsville, Ohio
Uhrichsville( ) is a city in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,413 at the 2010 census. Claymont City School District is the major education provider for the city of Uhrichsville and for the village of Dennison, Ohio. The ...
. For several years, he followed business pursuits, but began to read law, and graduated from the Ohio Law College in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
in 1861. He was admitted to the bar in
Mount Vernon, Ohio
Mount Vernon is a city in Knox County, Ohio, United States. It is located northeast of Columbus. The population was 16,990 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Knox County.
History
The community was platted in 1805, and named after Mo ...
, that same year. He opened a practise in
New Philadelphia, Ohio
New Philadelphia is a city in and the county seat of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The county's largest city, New Philadelphia lies along the Tuscarawas River. The population was 17,677 at the 2020 census. It is a principal city in the ...
, where he remained a year.
In 1862 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, ...
, and opened a law office. In 1869, he was appointed by President
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
,
recorder of deeds
Recorder of deeds or deeds registry is a government office tasked with maintaining public records and documents, especially records relating to real estate ownership that provide persons other than the owner of a property with real rights over ...
for the
District of Columbia
)
, 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, ...
, holding that office until May 1878. In July 1881, he received the post of
consul general
A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...
in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
, which he resigned in May 1882. He made friendships with presidents
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
,
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
,
William McKinley
William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...
and
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
.
He was active in Jewish charitable and educational movements, and was a frequent lecturer on social, literary, and political topics. He was the founder and president of the Hebrew Orphans' Home at Atlanta, Georgia, and president of the Board of Children's Guardians, Washington. Wolf was a prominent freemason, member of Lafayette lodge, No. 19, of Washington, D.C. He was very active in the Independent Order B'nai B'rith, of which he was president from 1903 to 1905.
He died from heart disease in
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497. on June 4, 1923.
Legacy
Wolf's daughter was the painter
Florence Wolf Gotthold
Florence Wolf Gotthold (October 3, 1858 – August 17, 1930) was an American painter.
Born Florence Wolf in Uhrichsville, Ohio, Gotthold was the daughter of prominent attorney Simon Wolf; with her parents she moved to Washington, D.C. in 1862. ...
.
Works
* ''The Influence of the Jews on the Progress of the World''. Washington, D.C. 1888
* ''The American Jew as Patriot, Soldier, and Citizen''. Philadelphia, 1895.
* ''
Mordecai Manuel Noah
Mordecai Manuel Noah (July 14, 1785, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – May 22, 1851, New York City, New York) was an American sheriff, playwright, diplomat, journalist, and utopian. He was born in a family of Portuguese people, Portuguese Sephardic ...
: A Biographical Sketch''. Philadelphia, 1897.
* "Biographical Sketch of Commodore
Uriah P. Levy". ''
American Jewish Year Book
The ''American Jewish Year Book'' (AJYB) has been published since 1899. Publication was initiated by the Jewish Publication Society (JPS). In 1908, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) assumed responsibility for compilation and editing while JPS ...
'', 1903
* ''The Presidents I Have Known from 1860-1918''. Washington, D.C. 1918
Notes
References
* This source quotes from the ''
Jewish Encyclopedia
''The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day'' is an English-language encyclopedia containing over 15,000 articles on th ...
''.
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolf, Simon
1836 births
1923 deaths
German emigrants to the United States
American businesspeople
American Freemasons
American people of German-Jewish descent
People from Washington, D.C.
People from Kusel (district)
American consuls
People from the Palatinate (region)
Ambassadors of the United States to Egypt
People from Uhrichsville, Ohio
19th-century American lawyers