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David Levy Yulee

Florida public official David Levy Yulee served in the United States Senate from 1845 to 1851 and again from 1855 to 1861.

United States

Brady-Handy Collection / Library of CongressWikimedia CommonsPublic domain

Biography

David Levy Yulee was born on 12 June 1810 on St. Thomas in the Danish West Indies into a Sephardic Jewish family. He moved to Florida, studied law and entered territorial politics, serving as Florida's delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives before statehood. When Florida entered the Union in 1845, he became one of the state's first two United States senators; the Senate identifies him as the first Jewish-American to serve in that chamber. His first Senate term began on 1 July 1845, and he later returned for a second term from 1855 to 1861. In 1846 the Florida legislature formally changed his name from David Levy to David Levy Yulee at his request. Beyond elected office, Yulee was a major figure in Florida railroad development and played a prominent role in the state's nineteenth-century economic and political history.

Records held by David Levy Yulee

Portrait of U.S. Senator David Levy Yulee.

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Community & SocietyFirst

First Jewish Senator in the United States Senate

Record holder

David Levy Yulee

Record value

1 July 1845

David Levy Yulee achieved the record for "First Jewish Senator in the United States Senate" on "1 July 1845" in Washington, D.C., when his first term of service began. This achievement is based on official United States Senate records, which not only place Yulee's oath and credentials presentation in the 1845 session but also explicitly identify him as the first Jewish senator. The measurement method for the record combines the official Senate chronology with the Senate's own historical identification of Yulee as the first person of Jewish background to serve in the chamber.

Country represented: United States
Achievement location: Washington, D.C., Washington, D.C., United States
Achievement date: 1 July 1845

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