Simon Bamberger
| Simon Bamberger | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 4th Governor of Utah | |
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In office January 1, 1917 – January 3, 1921 |
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| Preceded by | William Spry |
| Succeeded by | Charles R. Mabey |
| Member of the Utah Senate | |
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In office 1903–1913 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 27, 1845 Darmstadt-Eberstadt, Germany |
| Died | October 6, 1926 (aged 81) Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Ida Maas |
| Children | 4 |
| Religion | Judaism |
Simon Bamberger (February 27, 1845 – October 6, 1926) was the fourth Governor of Utah (1917–1921) after it achieved statehood from territorial status in 1896. Bamberger retains the distinction of being the first non-Mormon, the first Democrat, as well as the first, and to date only, Jewish Governor of Utah. He was also the third Jew ever elected governor of any state, after Washington Bartlett of California and Moses Alexander of Idaho.
Born on February 27, 1845 in Darmstadt-Eberstadt, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, Bamberger was the son of Emanuel Bamberger and the former Helen Fleisch. He emigrated to the United States at the age of fourteen, shortly before the American Civil War broke out. Landing in New York City, he embarked on a train to Cincinnati, Ohio. This was a logical destination, because Cincinnati was one of the leading centers of German life in the United States at the time. However, Bamberger missed the connection at Columbus and ended up in Indianapolis, Indiana and, then Terre Haute, Indiana. He remained there until the Civil War ended in 1865, at which point he relocated to St. Louis, Missouri—perhaps not coincidentally, also a major focal point of German immigrants—and established a garment manufacturing company with his brother Herman. A few years later, while in Wyoming to collect a debt, Bamberger got word that the business had failed. Figuring he had nothing to lose, he struck out for Utah, which at that time was still a territory and barely settled.
Bamberger married Ida Maas in 1881. They had four children.
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