Alexander Moritz Simon (originally Moses Simon; November 27, 1837, in Hanover – January 29, 1905, in Hanover) was a German-Jewish philanthropist, a banker and American

vice consul A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

. He founded the Israelite horticultural school in Ahlem near

Hannover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

to improve the living conditions of its Jewish citizens.

Life

Moritz Simon was born on November 27, 1837, in

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

as the son of a major Jewish collector. He was a very diligent student. Following his school career, he completed an apprenticeship as a bank merchant in the bank building of the Hanoverian court banker, Ezechiel Simon. After his education, Simon went to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, arriving on July 20, 1858, with the American ship

North Star Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude t ...

New York harbor New York Harbor is a bay that covers all of the Upper Bay. It is at the mouth of the Hudson River near the East River tidal estuary on the East Coast of the United States. New York Harbor is generally synonymous with Upper New York Bay, ...

. For several years he worked at the city, in a bank. In 1863 Simon returned to Hanover, after applying on 29 April to the city council for civil rights, listed as a banker, on July 16, 1863, he and his father founded the "Banking, Money Exchange and Debt Collection Business". On August 7, 1871, he was appointed Vice - Consul at Brunswick. In March 2. 1886 as Consular Agent at Hanover. He retired on December 22 , 1890, and was appointed Vice and Deputy Consul at Hanover on October 5 , 1893. Simon was a well-known Jewish philanthropist, seeing the need, he became a vigorous advocate of a new and path-breaking idea, promoted the training of Jewish boys in agriculture and handicrafts. Later, he used his own funds to establish a school based on these principles in Ahlem near Hannover, and gave of his own land for this purpose. The 'Israelitische,' later called 'Jüdische' ''Gartenbauschule'' was founded in 1883.

References

1837 births 1905 deaths 19th-century German Jews 19th-century German philanthropists People from Hanover {{philanthropist-stub

Life

Further reading

References