Ascher Silberstein (18 September 1852 – 17 December 1909) was born in the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

on September 18, 1852. He came to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

at the age of 15 and settled in

Jefferson, Texas Jefferson is a city and county seat of Marion County, Texas, in Northeast Texas. It has a population of 1,875 as of the 2020 United States census. History Almost every commercial building and house on the main arterial road in Jefferson has a h ...

, later moving to Dallas and was engaged in the

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

business. He was associated, at different times, with Ellis Cockrell and J.B. Wilson. Early in 1909, he was one of the organizers of the Trinity National Bank, which merged with the City National BankThe Trinity National Bank, co-organized by Robert Henry Stewart (1854-1936), later merged to become the City National Bank, then the First National Bank in Dallas, later becoming the InterFirst Corporation and the

First Republic Bank Corporation First Republic Bank Corporation was an American bank based in Texas. Founded as the Guaranty Bank and Trust Company in 1920, in 1922 it assumed the name Republic National Bank of Dallas. Afterwards the bank acquired several banks and invested i ...

. at the time of Silberstein's death. He built and was, for a number of years, president of the Dallas Oil and Refining Company. Silberstein was a quiet and unassuming man and a

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

contributor toward any worthy cause that was brought to his notice. When a meeting was held to raise funds for the flood victims in May 1907, he was one of the first to rise and say, "I will give a thousand dollars." Silberstein died suddenly on December 17, 1909. In his will, he bequeathed a very large amount of his estate to various

charitable Charity is the voluntary provision of assistance to those in need. It serves as a humanitarian act, and is unmotivated by self-interest. Various philosophies about charity exist, with frequent associations with religion. Etymology The word ...

and

educational institutions An educational institution is a place where people of different ages gain an education, including preschools, childcare, primary-elementary schools, secondary-high schools, and universities. They provide a large variety of learning environments a ...

, including the Buckner Orphans Home, the Dallas City Hospital, and the Dallas Public Schools.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Silberstein, Ascher 1852 births 1909 deaths Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States People from Jefferson, Texas 19th-century American philanthropists