Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-11-28
OREGON'S NEW SENATOR.
Mr.. Simon the Fourth Jewish Menu
Der of the Upper House.

1
Der of the Upper House.
Joseph Simon. who has just been
elected to fill the Oregon vacancy IN
United States senate, was, according
to the press dispatches, born in Ger
many of Jewish parents" Mr.. Simon
will not be the first person OF the
Judean race to hold a seat in the
senate of the United States. There
have been at least three others to pre-
cede him. The first of these was
David L. Yulee, who sat in the senate
from July 1, 1845, to March 8, 1851, and
| again from March 4, 1856, to Jan. q.
| 1861, when he retired from congress to
cast his fortunes with the nascent
southern confederacy. Senator Yulee
was born in the West Indies in 1911.
but came to this country with MS
father when very young and while
still a mere youth located in Florida
His fathers name was Levy, and he
was of Jewish extraction. The sena-
| tor first sat in congress as delegate
from Florida for two terms under the
name of David Levy, the last of these
terms expiring on March 3, 1845. 1t
was in the interval between that date
and Tie beginning, few months later
in the same year, of the next term of
congress that he changed his name to
Yulee, or rather added that name TO
David Levy, his new name in full be-
| ing David Levy Yulee. Thus he left
the house on March 8 as David Levy
and entered the senate when it assem-
bled on Dec. l following as David L.
Yulee It must be admitted that he
selected a well-sounding name for his
new cognomen. Senator Yulee died
in New York city, Oct 10, 1886.
The next in order was the most
famous of the three, and one of The
most distinguished lawyers and states
men this country has ever produced,
Judah P. Benjamin Of Louisiana. He
was in the senate from March 3, 1858,
to Feb. 4, 1861, when he and his col
league John Slidell, withdrew to join
the confederacy. Benjamin was sue
cessively attorney general, secretary
of war, and secretary of state OF tne
confederacy. 1t is worth noting that
Benjamin and Jefferson Davis once
had a sharp personal controversy on
the floor of the United States senate
which would have led to duel had rot
Davis had the manliness to apologize
on the floor of the senate for the aar IN
language he had used. After the fall
of the confederacy Benjamin escaped
to England, going from Florida to the
Bahamas in an open boat. He was
admitted to the bar in London, after
he had mastered the English law,
and soon rose to eminence in his pro-
fession. In 1883 his health began to
fail and he retired from practice,
famous farewell banquet being given
to him by his fellow-lawyers in the
hall of the Inner Temple, London, on
June 80, 1888 He then went to Paris,
where he died May s, 1894. Mr..
Benjamin was, like Mr.. Yuieeo
born in the West Indies. His parents
were English Jews, who in 1911 sailed
from England to settle in New Or
leans, but hearing that the mouth OF
the Mississippi was blockaded by
British feet, they put in at st. Cfolx
where, on Aug. IL, 1911, the future
lawyer and statesman W9s born. In
view Of his alien birth it is interesting
to observe that when Mr.. BENJAMIN,
in 1845, was a member of the conven-
ton to revise the constitution of the
state he advocated the addition OF an
article requiring the governor to be
a citizen born in the United States.
The last of this trio was Benjamin
Franklin Jones, who was in the senate
from Louisiana for the term from
March 4, 1879, to March 3, 1855. Mr..
Jones was born in WilliamstoWn,
Grant county, Kentucky, on July 8,
1884; removed with his father to
Adams county, Illinois, at an early age
and was educated there. In 1853 he
went to New Orleans; graduated
from the law department OF the uni
versity of Louisiana in 1855; practiced
law; served in the confederate army
during the civil war; was member
of both houses of the legislature ana
CITY attorney of New Orleans after
the war, prior to being elected to the
Tinted States senate. He served on
his senatorial term and was succeeded
nv James B. Eustis, who was Mr.
Clevelands ambassador to France
Washington Times.