Leonard Montefiore

Leonard Montefiore, Born 1853, died 1879. Author and philanthropist, born Kensington, London. Grand nephew to Moses Montefiore and a nephew of Francis Goldsmid.

In October 1870 Montefiore entered University College London where he attended lectures for the next two years. It was at this time that he formed a friendship with Henry Birchenough that was described in his "Essays and Letters" as "the greatest friendship of his life" Montefiore attended Balliol College, Oxford where his posthumous memoire reports that he was a devotee of Ruskin. Whilst at Balliol he became a friend of Oscar Wilde who, after Montefiore's death allegedly proposed to his sister Charlotte. . He was also influenced by Arnold Toynbee and Benjamin Jowett.

Montefiore was Chief assistant to Samuel Barnett (reformer) in his work regarding the extension of Oxford University to London and was secretary of the Tower Hamlets branch of the Society for the extension of University Teaching. Montefiore was the Secretary of the Jewish Schools in Red Lion Square from April 1877 until his departure for America and became a member of the Jewish Board of Guardians in 1878.

The Jewish Encyclopedia says "Montefiore was associated with many philanthropic movements, especially with the movement for women's emancipation."

Montefiore died at Newport, Rhode Island, aged 27. According to the Women's rights activist Emily Faithfull in her book "Three Visits to America" published in 1884 Montefiore died "While he was visiting the United States, in order to see for himself what could be learned from the political and social condition of the people, must ever be deplored. The world can ill afford to lose men of such deep thought and energetic action."

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