Uriah P. Levy

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Uriah Phillips Levy (April 22, 1792 - March 2, 1862) was a Jewish-American Naval officer, businessman, and longtime owner of Monticello.

Biography

Early Life

Levy was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a prominent Sephardic Jewish family. His ancestors first migrated to the American colonies in 1645.[1] At the age of 10, he ran away to join the crew of a trading ship, although he did return to his family for his bar mitzvah. By the time he was 20, Levy was owned and ran his own vessels.[2]

Naval Career

President James Madison appointed Levy to the US Navy during the War of 1812. As part of his role as a Sailing Master, Levy served on the USS Argus, which was captured by the British in 1813. He spent sixteen months as a prisoner of war, only returning to the US at the war's conclusion. [2] His naval career continued, though. Levy was appointed a Lieutenant in 1817, a Master Commandant in 1837, and as a Captain in 1844. Levy was known throughout his career as an opponent of corporal punishment in the Navy, leading to his being court-martialed six times for 'peculiar' (non-corporal) punishments like public humiliation. In 1842, the Navy went so far as to remove Levy from duty, though President John Tyler intervened on his behalf and reinstated him.[1] Congress abolished corporal punishment by the Navy in 1850, thanks in large part to the work of Levy and men like him.[2]

In 1855, Captain Levy was removed from service, ostensibly in order to "promote the efficiency" of the Navy. However, Levy and many others believed that anti-Semitism was the actual reason behind his firing. Following testimony from men who had served with him, Levy was restored to his position in late 1857. Just four months later, he was promoted to Commodore of the entire Mediterranean fleet.[1] At the time, Commodore was the highest position one could achieve in the Navy. Levy was the first Jewish Commodore in US naval history.

Monticello

The statue of Thomas Jefferson commissioned by Levy, housed since 1900 in the Rotunda of the Capitol

Levy, as a Jewish man living in the overwhelmingly Christian early United States, was an admirer of Thomas Jefferson for his dedication to religious freedom. In 1832, he commissioned a statue of Jefferson by French architect David d'Angers, which he gifted to Congress in the hopes of it being displayed in the Rotunda of the Capitol, but spent years on the White House lawn instead.[3]

Levy's admiration of Jefferson was well-known, and the most likely chain of events that led to his purchase of Monticello starts with a meeting with the Marquis de Lafayette in Paris while his Jefferson statue was being created. Apparently, Lafayette asked after the condition of the estate, which Levy agreed to investigate upon his return to the US. [4]

When Levy came to Albemarle County and saw the state of disarray the property was in under the ownership of James Barclay, who had purchased the property from Martha Jefferson Randolph, he decided to purchase it. The deal struck in 1834 between the two men was for the house and a bit of property for $2700. Lawsuits regarding Barclay's sale of other parts of the estate meant it took until 1836 for Levy to become the official owner.

Although Levy rarely spent much time in Charlottesville, he oversaw the restoration of the property, which he used enslaved labor to complete. He hired Joel Wheeler as an overseer of the dozen enslaved people that were purchased, and moved his mother, Rachel Phillips Levy, in to the house to ensure his wishes were carried out. She died at Monticello, and her grave is still visible on the mountaintop near the house.[4]

Death

Levy died in New York City on March 22, 1862, and was buried in Brooklyn, New York, in a Spanish and Portuguese Jewish cemetery. In the will he had drawn up in 1858, he left Monticello to the US government, along with $300,000 to fund an agricultural home for orphans of naval officers. However, Levy's wishes could not be carried out, as the Confederate government of Virginia had seized the property upon the commencement of the Civil War. During the war, it was illegally sold to Benjamin Franklin Ficklin. It was not until the end of a drawn-out legal dispute that Levy's nephew, Jefferson Levy took ownership of the property in 1879.[4]

Legacy

Commodore Levy has been remembered in several ways by the US Navy. In 1943, the USS Levy was commissioned and fought in the Pacific during World War II. The Jewish Chapels in Norfolk, VA and at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, are both named for Levy. The statue of Thomas Jefferson that Levy donated to the Capitol building stands in the Rotunda to this day.[2]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Web. Uriah Phillips Levy Biography, Friends of the Jewish Chapel at the US Naval Academy
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Web. Uriah Phillips Levy, Naval History and Heritage Command
  3. Web. Uriah Levy's Gift to the Nation, Lydia Tederick
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Web. Uriah Phillips Levy