Moses Cohen Mordecai
| Moses Cohen Mordecai | |
|---|---|
| Born |
February 19, 1804 Charleston, South Carolina |
| Died |
December 30, 1888 Baltimore, Maryland |
| Residence |
39 Meeting Street, Charleston, South Carolina Baltimore, Maryland |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Spouse(s) | Isabel Rebecca (Lyons) Mordecai |
| Children |
Hortensia Mordecai Rosa Hays Mordecai Tobias Minnie Mordecai Lazarus Isabel Mordecai |
Moses Cohen Mordecai (1804-1888) was an American Jewish businessman, politician, and parnass (synagogue administrator).
Biography
Early life
Moses Cohen Mordecai was born on February 19, 1804 in Charleston, South Carolina.[1] His father was David Cohen Mordecai (1781-1818) and his mother, Reinah (Abrahams) Mordecai (1784-1853).[1] He was the grandson of Mordecai Moses Mordecai and Zipporah deLyon.[1]
Career
He owned the Mordecai Steamship Line, which he used to import fruit, sugar, tobacco, and coffee.[1][2][3] Additionally, he was a co-owner of the Southern Standard, a newspaper published in South Carolina from 1851 to 1858.[2] At the same time, he served as a member of the South Carolina Senate.[2][3] His votes reflected his opposition to secession in the 1850s, prior to the American Civil War of 1861-1865.[2] He used his newspaper to echo this position.[2] Moreover, he was widely seen as a politician representing the merchant class and free trade.[4]
According to author Robert N. Rosen, he became "the most prominent Jewish Charlestonian of the 1850s and 1860s."[2] He served as the parnass, or chief administrative officer, of the Congregation Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, a synagogue in Charleston.[5] Overall, he did not suffer from much open antisemitism; however, historians have noted that Senator James Henry Hammond (1807–1864) privately called him a "miserable Jew" in his diary.[4]
During the Civil War, he decided to change his mind about secession and supported the Confederate States of America.[6] Some of his ships were used by the Confederate States Army.[3][7] For example, the Isabel, named in honor of his wife, was used to remove Major Robert Anderson (1805–1871) from Fort Sumter at the Battle of Fort Sumter on April 14, 1861.[3][7] In the aftermath of the Civil War, and after his shipping enterprise had been shattered and he became blind, he moved to Baltimore, Maryland.[8]
Personal life
He married Isabel Rebecca (Lyons) Mordecai (1804-1896), the daughter of David Cohen Mordecai (1781-1818) and Reinah Abrahams Mordecai (1784-1853).[1][2] They had four children:
- Hortensia Mordecai (1830-1899).[1][9]
- Rosa Hays Mordecai Tobias (1832-1897).[1] She married Joseph Lopez Tobias (1825-1893).[10]
- Minnie Mordecai Lazarus (1839-1913).[1] She married Edgar Marx Lazarus, Sr. (1838-1884).[11]
- Isabel Mordecai (1842-1927).[1][12]
In 1837, he purchased a mansion in Charleston built for Dr Jean Ernest Poyas (1756-1824) in the Adam style; it became his family home.[6] The house is located at 39 Meeting Street near St. Michael's Episcopal Church, south of Broad Street, in Charleston, South Carolina.[2][3][5] Despite the Civil War, the house still stands today.[13]
Death
He died on December 30, 1888 in Baltimore.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 FindAGrave: Moses Cohen Mordecai
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Robert N. Rosen, The Jewish Confederates, Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 2000, p. 40
- 1 2 3 4 5 Jewish Tour of Charleston, The Jewish Federation of Charleston, South Carolina
- 1 2 Frank Byrne, Becoming Bourgeois: Merchant Culture in the South, 1820-1865, Louisville, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2006, p. 62
- 1 2 Robert N. Rosen, The Jewish Confederates, Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 2000, p. 9
- 1 2 69 Meeting Street: Poyas-Mordecai House, Preservation Society of Charleston
- 1 2 Robert N. Rosen, The Jewish Confederates, Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 2000, pp. 46-47
- ↑ Robert N. Rosen, The Jewish Confederates, Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 2000, p. 334
- ↑ FindAGrave: Hortensia Mordecai
- ↑ FindAGrave: Rosa Hays Mordecai Tobias
- ↑ FindAGrave: Minnie "Rachel" Mordecai Lazarus
- ↑ FindAGrave: Isabel Mordecai
- ↑ Robert N. Rosen, The Jewish Confederates, Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 2000, p. 374