John Moss (Philadelphia)
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John Moss (1771 in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, England – 5 April 1847 in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, Pennsylvania) was a Jewish merchant, shipping magnate, and civic leader. He emigrated to the United States as a glass engraver from London. Moss soon turned to other ventures after glass engraving proved insufficient to sustain a decent wage. He opened a dry goods store in 1807 and soon became a major importer, eventually owning a small merchant fleet. In 1823, he turned control of the business to his brothers and turned his attention to various civic enterprises. He was a founding member of the Musical Fund Society. He served as a steward of the Society of Sons of St. George a mutual-aid society for former Englishmen like himself and was a benefactor of the Philadelphia Orphan Asylum. In 1825, he acted as judge of engraved glass during the Franklin Institute's second exposition of American craftsmanship. .In 1828 he entered into politics by being elected to the
Philadelphia City Council The Philadelphia City Council is the legislative body of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is composed of 17 councilmembers: ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large from throughou ...
's lower house, the Common Council, on the Jacksonian Democratic Party ticket. It was in this capacity that he played a role in the establishment of the
Wills Eye Hospital Wills Eye Hospital is a non-profit eye clinic and hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1832 and is the oldest continually operating eye-care facility in the United States. It is the ophthalmology residency program for T ...
. Later in life he became a supporter of
Isaac Leeser Isaac Leeser (December 12, 1806 – February 1, 1868) was an American Orthodox Jewish religious leader, teacher, scholar and publisher. He helped found the Jewish press of America, produced the first Jewish translation of the Bible into English, ...
's American Jewish Publication Society. In 1840, in the wake of the Damascus Affair Moss led a protest committee from the city of Philadelphia.


Personal life

In his personal life, John Moss was an active member of the synagogue
Congregation Mikveh Israel Congregation Mikveh Israel (), is a Sephardic Orthodox Jewish synagogue located at 44 North Fourth Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The congregation traces its history from 1740. Mikveh Israel is a Spanish and Portu ...
, and contributed heavily to its building fund of 1818. He married Rebecca Lyons on February 15, 1797. He had nine children with her. John Moss died at age 76 on April 5, 1847 and was buried in
Mikveh Israel Cemetery Mikveh Israel Cemetery is the oldest Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, giving evidence of a settled community as early as 1740. A number of outstanding patriots, pioneers, and other notables of the Jewish faith who m ...
in Philadelphia.


Lucien Moss

Of note amongst the descendants of John Moss is his grandson Lucien Moss. Lucien Moss was born in Philadelphia on May 25, 1831 and was educated in New Haven, Conn and in Philadelphia, PA. As a machinist for the Philadelphia based firm of Morris & Tawes, he supervised the construction of sugar mills in Puerto Rico. In 1878, he founded the firm of Wiler & Moss, a brass working company. After this, he retired to Philadelphia, and much like his grandfather, engaged in charitable work. He was member of the boards of both the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. After his death on April 19, 1895, he left his fortune to the Jewish Hospital Association of Philadelphia to found the Lucien Moss Home for Incurables of the Jewish Faith, which would later be known as
MossRehab Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation - Elkins Park (formerly MossRehab) is a physical medicine and rehabilitation hospital serving the Greater Philadelphia region of Pennsylvania. The rehabilitation hospital was founded in the early 1900s and woul ...
in the modern day.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moss, John 1771 births 1847 deaths 19th-century English Jews 19th-century American Jews British emigrants to the United States English merchants Pennsylvania Democrats Philanthropists from Pennsylvania Businesspeople from Philadelphia Burials at Mikveh Israel Cemetery