The times., 1898-10-11
oREGoN'S NEW SENATOR.
Mr.. simon the Fourth Jewish Mem
ber of the Upper House.

Joseph Simon. who Nas just been elect
ed to fill the oregon scancy i'm the Unit
ed States Senate, was according TO the
press dispatches. born in Germany 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 precede him. The first of these
was David L. Yulee, who sat in the SEN
ate from Florida, from July l. 1Si5. to
March 8, 1851, and again from March 4,
1855, to January p, 1861, when he retir-
ed from Congress to cast his fortunes
with the nascent Southern Confederacy.
Senator Yulee was born in the West IN
dies in 1911, but came TO this country with
his 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 senator first sat
in Congress as a delegate from Florida
for two terms under the name of David
Levy, the last of these terms expiring
on March g. 1S45. 1t was in the interval
between that date and the beginning q
few months later in the same year of the
next term of Congress that he changed
his name to Yulee, or rather ad-
ded that name to David Levy, his new
name in full being David Levy Yulee
Thus he left the House on March g. as
David Levy and entered the Senate when
it assembled on December !, following as
David l.. Yulee. 1t must be admitted that
he selected a well-sounding name for his
new coSnomen. Senator Yulee died in
New York city, October 10 1886
The next in order was the most famous
of the three, and one of the most dis
tinguished lawyers and statesmen this
country has ever produced, Judah p
Benjamin, of Louisiana. He was in the
Senate from March 3. 1858, to February
4. 1861, when he and his colleague, John
Slider. withdrew to join the Confederacy.
Benjamin was successfully Attorney Gen
eral, Secretary of War and Secretary of
State of the 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 not
Davis had the manliness to apologize on
the floor of the Senate for the harsh lam
guage he had used After the fall of the
Confederacy Benjamin escaped to Eng
land, 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 emil
nence in his profession. In 1883 his health
began to fail and he retired from prac-
tice. famous farewell banquet being
given TO him by his fellow-lawyers in the
hall of the Inner Temple. Londop, on
June 30. 1888. He then went to Paris
where he lived until his death on May
8. 1884
Mr.. Benjamin was, like Mr. Yulee. born
in the West Indies. His parents were
English Jews who in 1911 sailed from
England TO settle in New Orleans, but
hearing that the mouth of the Mississippi
was blockaded by a British fleet they
put in at st. Croix, where, on August H.
1911, the future lawyer and statesman
was born In view of his alien birth ii
is interesting to observe that when Mr..
Benjamin. in 1S45, was member of the
convention 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 Jonas. who was in the Senate
from Louisiana for the term from March
T. 1879, to March g. 1885. Mr.. Jonas was
born in Willamstown, Grant County
Kentucky. on July 10, 1884; removed with
his father to Adams County, Illinois. at
an early age, anu was euucateQ tnere. In
1858 he went to New Orleans to live:
graduated from the law department of
the University of Louisiana in 1856; prac-
ticed law; served in the Confederate
army during the Civil War; was a men,
Der of both houses of the legislature
and city attorney of New Orleans after
the war. prior TO being elected to the
United States Senate. He served out his
Senatorial term and was succeeded by
James B. Eustis who was Mr.. Cleve-
lands ambassador TO France.