Joseph Salvador facts for kids
Joseph Salvador (born 1716, died 1786) was an important British businessman who lived in London, England. He came from a family of Portuguese Sephardic Jews. These were Jewish people whose families originally came from Spain and Portugal. Some people mistakenly think he was the first and only Jewish director of the British East India Company. However, even though he put a lot of money into the company and was involved in its decisions, there's no proof he was ever a director.
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Early Life and Family History
Joseph Salvador's family had a tough history. His ancestors escaped difficult times during the Portuguese Inquisition. This was a period when people were persecuted for their beliefs in Portugal. They moved to the Netherlands to find safety. Later, in the 1700s, his family moved again, this time to London, England.
In London, Salvador was a leader in his community. He belonged to the synagogue of Portuguese Sephardic Jews. This was a place of worship and a community center for people who spoke Portuguese. He was known as a successful businessman and financier, meaning he managed a lot of money.
Working for Jewish Rights
Joseph Salvador worked hard to improve the lives of Jewish people in Britain. He strongly supported the Jew Bill of 1753. This was a proposed law that aimed to give Jewish people more rights. He wanted them to have full citizenship and the same civil rights as other British citizens.
Public Life and Achievements
In 1759, Joseph Salvador was chosen to be a member of the Royal Society. This is a very old and respected group in Britain for important scientists and thinkers.
When George III became the King of England, Salvador was part of a special group. He led seven men who went to congratulate the new king on behalf of England's Jewish community. This showed how important he was.
Salvador was also a freemason, which is part of a social and charitable organization. He belonged to the Premier Grand Lodge of England. He was also involved in activities against the Jacobites. The Jacobites were people who wanted to bring back the old royal family to the throne.
Helping Others and Investing in Land
Joseph Salvador was a very generous person. He helped many poor Jewish people move to new places. In 1733, he worked with the DaCosta family to help 42 poor Jewish people travel to Georgia in America. These colonists helped start the Jewish communities in cities like Savannah and Charleston, South Carolina. Many of them moved from Savannah to Charleston after the Spanish attacked Georgia. They were worried about facing another Inquisition. Because of this, Charleston became a popular place for Sephardic Jews in the South from the 1730s.
Salvador and the DaCosta family also bought a lot of land. They purchased hundreds of thousands of acres in the Ninety-Six District in South Carolina during the 1730s.
Financial Troubles
Sadly, Joseph Salvador faced financial ruin later in his life. This happened after a huge natural disaster: the great earthquake that destroyed Lisbon, Portugal, in 1755. Salvador had invested a lot of his money in properties in that city. When the earthquake hit, his investments were lost, and he became financially ruined.
Francis Salvador: A Family Legacy
Joseph Salvador had a nephew named Francis Salvador. Francis moved to South Carolina in 1773 and bought 7,000 acres of land in the Ninety-Six District. He joined the American Patriot cause, which supported American independence from Britain. In 1774, he was elected to the Provincial Congress. This made him the first Jewish person to be elected to public office in the Thirteen Colonies, which later became the United States.
In August 1776, Francis Salvador was killed in a battle in South Carolina. He was the first Jewish person to die in the American Revolutionary War.
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