Don Aaron Nunez Cardozo, GMH (1762–1834)Jewish Virtual Library – Aaron Nunez Cardozo
/ref> was a Jewish English businessman, who established in Gibraltar and was

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states th ...

for

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

and Algiers in Gibraltar around 1805.

Career

Cardozo promoted the interests of the

British Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_est ...

and as delegate of General

Henry Edward Fox General Henry Edward Fox (4 March 1755 – 18 July 1811) was a British Army general who served brief spells as Governor of Minorca and Governor of Gibraltar. Family He was a son of Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland and Lady Caroline Lennox (1723� ...

, the

Governor of Gibraltar The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as th ...

, concluded a treaty on 5 November 1805, with

Sidi Mahomet ''Sidi'' or ''Sayidi'', also Sayyidi and Sayeedi, ( ar, سيدي, Sayyīdī, Sīdī (dialectal) " milord") is an Arabic masculine title of respect. ''Sidi'' is used often to mean "saint" or "my master" in Maghrebi Arabic and Egyptian Arabic. ...

Bey Bey ( ota, بك, beğ, script=Arab, tr, bey, az, bəy, tk, beg, uz, бек, kz, би/бек, tt-Cyrl, бәк, translit=bäk, cjs, пий/пек, sq, beu/bej, sh, beg, fa, بیگ, beyg/, tg, бек, ar, بك, bak, gr, μπέης) is ...

of Oran, for provisioning the garrison of Gibraltar and the British squadron in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

. He proceeded to Oran on board the frigate ''Termagant'', which was placed at his disposal by

Lord Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought ab ...

. Cardozo was successful in saving the lives of three

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

sailors who were imprisoned at Oran and under the

death sentence Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

. A treaty was negotiated by him between the

Government of Portugal The Government of Portugal is one of the four sovereignty bodies of the Portuguese Republic, together with the President of the Republic, the Assembly of the Republic and the courts. It is both the body of sovereignty that conducts the general p ...

and the bey of Tunis. He was one of the principal landowners of Gibraltar. In 1824 Cardozo was created a knight of the Legion of Honor by

Louis XVIII of France Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in e ...

, and was rewarded with other orders of merit for his distinguished services. He was longtime president the Hebrew Community and of the

Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

Mansion

After settling in Gibraltar, Cardozo had a

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

built at John Mackintosh Square as his family home.(Benady, 18) The three-storey building was completed in 1819 and was the grandest private mansion ever seen in Gibraltar dominating John Mackintosh Square. It was erected on the site of the old hospital and chapel of ''La Santa Misericordia'' (''The Holy Mercy'') and later prison. As a non

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

, Cardozo was not legally allowed to own property in Gibraltar at the time. However, as he had been a close friend of

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

and had supplied his fleet, he was eventually granted a site to build a house in the ''Alameda'' on the condition that it be "''an ornament''" to the square. Its cost was about £40,000. Today, Cardozo's mansion has become the

Gibraltar City Hall The Gibraltar City Hall is the former city hall for Gibraltar, centrally located within the city at the west end of John Mackintosh Square. It is the office of the Mayor of Gibraltar. History The building was a private mansion built in 1819( ...

and houses the Mayor's Parlour.(Benady, 19)

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cardozo, Aaron 1762 births 1834 deaths Gibraltarian Sephardi Jews Place of birth missing Place of death missing Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur British Sephardi Jews