Solomon Simson

Solomon Simson (1738–1801) was an American Jewish merchant and political figure in New York City. A supporter of the American Revolution, he was a founder and later president of New York's Democratic-Republican organization. In 1795 he sent a Hebrew letter to the Jews of Kaifeng in China, the first known attempt by an American Jew to contact them.

Early life and business

Simson was born in New York City in 1738 into one of the city's early Jewish families. He became a prominent merchant, in partnership with his brother Sampson Simson (c. 1725–1773), and with his brother was active in founding the New York Chamber of Commerce. He and his family were active members of Congregation Shearith Israel, the city's Spanish and Portuguese synagogue.

American Revolution

Simson supported the American cause during the Revolution. When the British occupied New York City, he moved with his family to Connecticut, returning to New York after the war. His son Sampson Simson, later the first Jewish graduate of Columbia College, was born in Danbury, Connecticut, during the family's exile.

Democratic-Republican politics

Active in New York politics after the war, Simson was one of the founders of the city's Democratic-Republican organization, serving as a vice president and becoming its president in 1797.

Letter to the Jews of China

Some time before 1795, Simson read in a book about China that there was a Jewish community there. In 1795, with the help of Alexander Hirsch, a German-born Jew of New York who could write Hebrew, he composed a Hebrew letter to the Jews of Kaifeng, asking them how long they had been in China, how many they were, and other questions about their community. He sent it to China with Captain Howell, master of the ship Sampson, who had sailed into Canton in 1789. A copy of the letter is held by the American Jewish Archives.

Death

Simson died in New York in 1801.

References