Bernard Goldsmith
| Bernard Goldsmith | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 19th Mayor of Portland, Oregon | |
|
In office 1869–1871 |
|
| Preceded by | Hamilton Boyd |
| Succeeded by | Philip Wasserman |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 20, 1832 Munich, Bavaria |
| Died | July 22, 1901 (aged 68) Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Political party |
Democratic (1854–1861) Republican (1861–1901) |
| Profession | Businessman, politician |
| Religion | Judaism |
Bernard Goldsmith (November 20, 1832 – July 22, 1901) was a Bavarian-American businessman and politician. He is best remembered as the 19th mayor of Portland, Oregon, serving from 1869 to 1871, and as the first Jew to hold that position.
Bernard Goldsmith was born November 20, 1832, in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria. He emigrated to New York City with his brother Solomon at the age of 15, working in the city as an apprentice to a watchmaker.
Goldsmith subsequently came west, working for a time in California as a stevedore before starting his own jewelry store.
Goldsmith's jewelry store was a prosperous one and he began to expand his business empire, opening three stores in Northern California and Southern Oregon. He moved to Portland in 1861, where he opened a mercantile store together with some of his seven brothers. He also began to engage in speculative investments, playing the currency market, speculating on wheat and cattle, and making investments in Idaho mines.
In 1864, Goldsmith became one of the original directors of the Library Association of Portland, founded in that year. Goldsmith was also a backer of the Willamette River Navigation Company, as well as the Willamette Falls Locks and Canal Company, which was responsible for building the Willamette Falls Locks. He was one of twelve founding members of the elite Portland Stock and Exchange Board in 1865.
These commercial ventures proved successful until by the time he was elected mayor in 1869, Goldsmith was the 8th richest resident of Portland and was regarded as the "most prosperous Jew in Oregon."
He was a Democrat before the Civil War, then shifted to the Republican party in opposition to slavery and in support of Abraham Lincoln, following the national pattern. He ran for mayor on the Union (Republican) ticket, then switched back to the Democratic party in 1875.
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