David Levy Yulee
| David Levy Yulee | |
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| In office July 1, 1845 – March 3, 1851 March 4, 1855 – January 21, 1861 |
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| Preceded by | (none) Jackson Morton |
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| Succeeded by | Stephen Mallory Thomas W. Osborn |
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| Born | June 12, 1810(1810-06-12) Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands |
| Died | October 10, 1886(1886-10-10) (aged 76) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Nannie C. Wickliffe Yulee |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer |
| Religion | Judaism, conversion to Christianity |
David Levy Yulee (June 12, 1810 – October 10, 1886) was an American politician from Florida and the first Jewish member of the United States Senate. [1]
Contents[show] |
[edit] Biography
Yulee was born David Levy in Charlotte Amalie, on the island of St. Thomas, during the British occupation of the Danish West Indies, now the United States Virgin Islands. His father, Moses Elias Levy, bought 50,000 acres (200 km2) of land near present-day Jacksonville to establish a “New Jerusalem” for Jewish settlers. [1]
[edit] U.S. Congress
After studying and practicing law in St. Augustine, David Levy became the delegate to United States Congress for the Florida Territory and was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate when Florida was admitted to the Union in 1845.[2] In 1846, he officially changed his name to David Levy Yulee (adding his father’s ancestral Sephardic surname) and married Nannie C. Wickliffe, the daughter of Charles A. Wickliffe, former governor of Kentucky and Postmaster General under President John Tyler. His wife was not Jewish, and their children were raised as Christians.[1] After serving one term in the Senate, Yulee was defeated for re-election in 1850.
[edit] Florida businessman
The next year, he founded a 5,000-acre (20 km2) sugar plantation along the Homosassa River. The remains of his plantation are found at the Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins State Historic Site.
While living in Fernandina, he began to follow his dream to build a railroad across Florida. He had originally planned to build a state-owned system as far back as 1837, but in 1851, he became the first southerner to utilize federal grants by drawing up an “Internal Improvement Act”. Using federal and state land grants and public stock. The Florida Railroad was chartered in 1853. The terminals would be the deep water ports, Fernandina on Amelia Island on the Atlantic side and Cedar Key on the Gulf. Construction began in 1855 and on March 1, 1861, the first train arrived in Cedar Key, just weeks before the beginning of the Civil War.
[edit] Confederate Congress and Reconstruction
Elected to the Senate again in 1855, he served until January 21, 1861, when he withdrew from the Senate after Florida seceded to join the Congress of the Confederacy. In 1865 he was imprisoned in Fort Pulaski due to his support for the Confederacy.[1] After his release from confinement, he rebuilt the Yulee Railroad, which had been destroyed during the war. Yulee held a number of executive positions in Florida railroads and hosted President Ulysses S. Grant in 1870 in Fernandina.
[edit] Death and legacy
He moved to Washington, D.C. in 1880 and died six years later while in New York. Yulee was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.[1]
Both the town of Yulee, Florida and Levy County, Florida are named for him. He was designated a Great Floridian by the Florida Department of State in the Great Floridians 2000 Program. Plaques attesting to the honor are found at both the Fernandina Chamber of Commerce and the Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins State Historic Site in Homosassa.[2]
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles Downing |
Delegate to the U.S. H
ouse of Representatives from Florida Territory 1841 – 1845 |
Succeeded by None. Statehood granted. |
| United States Senate | ||
| Preceded by (none) |
United States Senator (Class 1) from Florida July 1, 1845 – March 3, 1851 Served alongside: James D. Westcott, Jr. and Jackson Morton |
Succeeded by Stephen R. Mallory |
| Preceded by Jackson Morton |
United States Senator (Class 3) from Florida March 4, 1855 – January 21, 1861 Served alongside: Stephen Mallory |
Succeeded by Thomas W. Osborn(1) |
| Notes and references | ||
| 1. Because of Florida‘s secession, the Senate seat was vacant for seven years before Osborn succeeded Yulee. | ||
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[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Detailed biography at Yulee Railroad Days website
- Guide to the David L. Yulee Papers at the University of Florida
- David Levy Yulee at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Biography at Jewish Virtual Library
| Persondata | |
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| Name | Yulee, David Levy |
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| Short description | |
| Date of birth | June 12, 1810 |
| Place of birth | Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands |
| Date of death | October 10, 1886 |
| Place of death | New York City, New York, U.S. |
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