Henry Cardozo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Henry Cardozo
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1830 Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | 1886 |
| Nationality | American |
| Relatives | Francis Lewis Cardozo (brother) Thomas Cardozo (brother) Benjamin N. Cardozo (distant relative) |
Henry Cardozo (born 1830, died 1886) was an important person in South Carolina history. He was a skilled carpenter and shipbuilder. Later, he became a county auditor and even a state senator. He helped shape South Carolina during a special time called the Reconstruction era.
Contents
Henry Cardozo's Early Life
Henry Cardozo was born in September 1830. His mother, Lydia Weston, was African American and Native American. She had been a slave. His father, Isaac Cardozo, was from a Sephardic Jewish family.
Henry had two sisters, Lydia and Eslander. His brothers, Thomas W. Cardozo and Francis Lewis Cardozo, became educators. They also became important politicians during the Reconstruction era. Their father, Isaac Cardozo, passed away in 1855.
Learning Trades and Starting a Family
By the age of 14, Henry was working as a shoemaker. He also learned to be a carpenter and a shipbuilder. He even trained with someone who made threshing machines. These machines were used to separate grain from plants.
In 1855, Henry married Catherine F. McKinney in Charleston, South Carolina. His sister Eslander married Catherine's brother, Christopher McKinney. In June 1858, Henry and his family moved. They traveled from Charleston to New York by steamship.
Life in Ohio
By 1860, the US census showed that Henry's mother and sisters lived in Cleveland, Ohio. Henry worked as a tailor in Cleveland. He lived there with his wife, Catherine, and their two sons, Isaac (age 4) and William (age 1).
Political Career and Public Service
After the US Civil War ended in 1865, Henry Cardozo moved back to South Carolina. He became the County Auditor for Charleston County. This job involved checking the county's financial records.
Serving as a State Senator
Henry was then elected to the state senate. He represented Kershaw County. He served as a senator from 1870 to 1874. During this time, he helped make laws for the state.
He also became a Methodist preacher. Later, he served as the pastor of the Old Bethel United Methodist Church. Henry Cardozo moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, and passed away on February 21, 1886.
Legacy and Burial
Henry Cardozo is buried in Randolph Cemetery in South Carolina. Eight other lawmakers from the Reconstruction era are also buried there.
