Simon Wolf (October 28, 1836 – June 4, 1923) was an American businessman, lawyer, writer, diplomat and Jewish activist.

Biography

Wolf was born in Hinzweiler,

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria ( ; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, the kingd ...

. 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 5,272 at the 2020 census. Claymont City School District is the public school district of Uhrichsville and Dennison, Ohio. The twin cities is a nickname us ...

. For several years, he followed business pursuits, but began to read law, and graduated from the Ohio Law College in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

in 1861. He was admitted to the bar in

Mount Vernon, Ohio Mount Vernon is a city in Knox County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Kokosing River, northeast of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 16,956 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Th ...

, that same year. He opened a practice in

New Philadelphia, Ohio New Philadelphia is a city in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The county's largest city, New Philadelphia lies along the Tuscarawas River. The population was 17,677 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It i ...

, where he remained a year. In 1862 he went to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, 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 the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

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 ove ...

for the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

, holding that office until May 1878. In July 1881, he received the post of

consul general 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 ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, which he resigned in May 1882. He made friendships with presidents

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

and

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

. 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, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

on June 4, 1923.

Legacy

Wolf's daughter was the painter Florence Wolf Gotthold.

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, New York State, New York) was an American sheriff, playwright, diplomat, journalist, and utopian. He was born in a family of mixed Ashkena ...

: A Biographical Sketch''. Philadelphia, 1897. * "Biographical Sketch of Commodore Uriah P. Levy". '' American Jewish Year Book'', 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 the ...

''. *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wolf, Simon 1836 births 1923 deaths Bavarian emigrants to the United States American businesspeople American Freemasons American people of German-Jewish descent Diplomats from Washington, D.C. Businesspeople from Washington, D.C. People from Kusel (district) Consuls for the United States People from the Palatinate (region) Ambassadors of the United States to Egypt People from Uhrichsville, Ohio 19th-century American lawyers Jewish American activists