Otto Jaffe
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Sir Otto Jaffe JP |
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Portrait by John Haynes-Williams
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| Lord Mayor of Belfast | |
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In office 1899–1900 |
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| Preceded by | Sir Anderson Peeler |
| Succeeded by | Sir Robert McConnell |
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In office 1904–1905 |
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| Preceded by | Sir Daniel Dixon |
| Succeeded by | Sir Daniel Dixon |
| High Sheriff of Belfast | |
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In office 1901–1902 |
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| Preceded by | Sir James Henderson |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Lawther |
| Member of Belfast City Council | |
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In office 1894–1916 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
13 August 1846 Hamburg, Germany |
| Died | 29 April 1929 (aged 82) London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Irish Unionist Party |
| Spouse(s) | Paula Hertz |
| Children | Arthur William |
| Profession | Businessman |
| Religion | Orthodox Judaism |
Sir Otto Jaffe, JP (13 August 1846 - 29 April 1929) was a German-born Jewish businessman, who was twice elected Lord Mayor of Belfast.
In 1852, his parents, Daniel Joseph and Frederiké brought their family of four boys and five girls from Hamburg to Belfast. Daniel Jaffe along with his older sons, Martin, John and Alfred, set up a business exporting linen. See separate article on Daniel Joseph Jaffé for Martin's younger son. Otto was educated at Mr Tate’s school in Holywood, County Down, and later in Hamburg and Switzerland.
Otto Jaffe married Paula Hertz from Braunschweig on 8 March 1879. They had two sons, Arthur and William.
From 1867–77 he lived and worked in New York. In 1877, his brothers retired, so he returned to Belfast to head the family business, "The Jaffe Brothers" at Bedford Street. He built it up to become the largest linen exporter in Ireland. He was a member of the Belfast Harbour Commission. In 1894, he successfully agitated for the reporting and destruction of derelicts in the North Atlantic Ocean.
He was a Justice of the Peace, a governor of the Royal Hospital, a member of the Irish Technical Education Board and a member of the Senate of Queen's College, which later became Queen's University of Belfast. He was the German consul in Belfast. He was an active member of the committee which got the Public Libraries Act extended to Belfast, leading to the first free library being established there. In 1910 he erected the Jaffe Spinning Mill on the Newtownards Road, also known as Strand Spinning. This provided work for 350 people, rising to 650 in 1914 when the company expanded to make munitions. He was lavishly charitable and contributed to Queen's College.
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