Uriah P. Levy
| Uriah P. Levy | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Birth name | Uriah Phillips Levy |
| Born |
April 22, 1792 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | March 26, 1862 (aged 69) New York City |
| Place of burial | Beth Olom Cemetery, Queens, New York |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy
|
| Years of service | 1806 - 1860 |
| Rank | Commodore |
| Commands held |
USS Vandalia USS Macedonian USS Franklin Mediterranean Fleet |
| Battles/wars |
Barbary Wars War of 1812 |
| Spouse(s) | Virginia Lopez |
Uriah Phillips Levy (April 22, 1792 – March 26, 1862) was a naval officer, real estate investor, and philanthropist. He was a veteran of the War of 1812 and the first Jewish Commodore of the United States Navy. He was instrumental in helping to end the Navy's practice of flogging, and during his half-century-long service prevailed against the antisemitism he faced among some of his fellow naval officers.
An admirer of Thomas Jefferson, Levy purchased and began the restoration of Monticello in the 1830s; he also commissioned and donated a statue of Jefferson that is now located in the Capitol Rotunda; it is the only privately commissioned artwork in the Capitol.
Levy was born on April 22, 1792, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Michael and Rachel Phillips Levy. He had two older siblings. Uriah Levy was close to his maternal grandfather, Jonas Phillips, who had emigrated to the United States in 1756 from Germany, and fought with the Philadelphia militia in the American Revolution. His maternal great-great grandfather, Dr. Samuel Ribeiro Nunes, a Portuguese physician, was among a group of 42 Sephardic Jews who escaped the Spanish Inquisition of the early 16th century and migrated to England, where they settled. Descendants of that group sailed from London in 1733 and helped found the city of Savannah, Georgia, where they lived for generations.
Levy's younger brother was Jonas Phillips Levy, who became a merchant and sea captain. He was the father of five, including the Congressman Jefferson Monroe Levy.
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Wikipedia