Jefferson Monroe Levy | |
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.jpg) Levy in 1912 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York | |
| In office March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1915 | |
| Preceded by | Herbert Parsons |
| Succeeded by | Michael F. Farley |
| Constituency | 13th district (1911–1913) 14th district (1913–1915) |
| In office March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1901 | |
| Preceded by | Richard C. Shannon |
| Succeeded by | Oliver H.P. Belmont |
| Constituency | 13th district |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 16, 1852 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | March 6, 1924(1924-03-06) (aged 71) New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | New York University School of Law |
| Occupation |
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Jefferson Monroe Levy (April 16, 1852 – March 6, 1924) was a three-termU.S. Congressman fromNew York, a leader of the New YorkDemocratic Party, and a renowned real estate and stock speculator.
In 1879 at the age of 27, he took control ofMonticello,Thomas Jefferson's home. Levy spent a considerable part of his fortune having Monticello and its grounds restored and preserved.
Born inNew York City toJonas Levy and Frances (Phillips) Levy, an American Jewish couple, Jefferson was one of five children. His father was a merchant and sea captain, and his mother was a descendant ofJonas Phillips and his wife RebeccaMachado. Levy and his siblings attended public and private schools. His mother's parents had immigrated from Germany and London in the mid-18th century, respectively, and his father'sSephardic Jewish ancestors, also from London, were among the first settlers ofSavannah, Georgia, in 1733.
Levy graduated from theNew York University School of Law in 1873. He was admitted to thebar and practiced in New York City, making money in real estate investment and finance.
Jefferson Levy's uncleUriah P. Levy, the first Jewish commodore (highest rank at the time) of theU.S. Navy, had bought Monticello and some related property in 1834. He had spent much money to restore and preserve the house and grounds, which he used as a summer retreat. During theAmerican Civil War, theConfederacy took control of the property. After the war, the lawyers of Levy's estate regained it for his heirs. In 1879, after buying out the other heirs of his uncle Uriah P. Levy for $10,050 (~$285,958 in 2024), Jefferson Levy took control ofMonticello (formerly the plantation ofThomas Jefferson).
When Jefferson Levy took over, the grounds had been reduced to 218 acres. During his tenure, he bought 500 acres to add to the complex.[1] The house and grounds were in severe disrepair due to the overseer Joel Wheeler's lack of care and lengthy lawsuits among the heirs after his uncle's death. Levy spent hundreds of thousands of dollars repairing, restoring, and preserving Monticello, work led by Thomas Rhodes, his on-site superintendent. Levy regularly spent four months a year at the estate and became active inCharlottesville. In 1880 he paid for the restoration of the Town Hall in Charlottesville, originally built as a theater, and named it the Levy Opera House. He allowed visitors to see the house, Monticello, sometimes getting as many as 60 per day.[1]
Beginning about 1909, Maud Littleton, the wife of New York CongressmanMartin W. Littleton, started a campaign to have the U.S. Congress buy the mansion and property, and turn it into a government-run monument to Thomas Jefferson. Part of her campaign was heated. Dismayed by newspaper articles that belittled Jefferson Levy's ownership (Levy was also a Congressman from New York at the time), the Albemarle Chapter of theDaughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in November 1912 unanimously adopted the following resolution:
...[The chapter] has noticed with regret various newspaper articles and letters from private persons as to the Government ownership of "Monticello" and reflections upon the Honourable Jefferson M. Levy, the owner of this historic place, and desiring to put on record the Chapter's views as to such ownership and appreciation of Mr. Levy's uniform courtesy and consideration to the Chapter, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED: That this Chapter is not in sympathy with the methods adopted by which private property of historic interest is proposed to be taken by the strong arm of Government against the will of the individual;
That it bears cheerful testimony to the care with which Monticello is preserved by Mr. Levy and to the zeal which he evinces in the protection of this sacred shrine, it desires to express its belief that no other individual could show more solicitude for the place or more lavishly expend time and money in its preservation. It gladly bears witness to the hospitality which characterizes Mr. Levy and especially the readiness with which he has always met every wish of the Chapter in regard to the place and to say that the way in which the place is opened to the public is worthy of commendation and could not be made more free consistent with the proper care of the property.[2]
In 1915, afterWoodrow Wilson was elected to the presidency, the likelihood of Congressional approval seemed high, but authorization was not achieved. In thePost–World War I recession, Levy's fortune declined. In 1923 he agreed to a down payment and mortgage for Monticello's sale to the newly organizedThomas Jefferson Foundation, which raised funds for the purchase and operated it as a house museum.[1]
Jefferson Levy never married; his mother and a sister acted as hostesses during his stays at Monticello.[1] Levy died in New York City in 1924. He was interred inBeth Olam Cemetery in Brooklyn, which associated with Shearith Israel Congregation, theSpanish and Portuguese Synagogue in Manhattan, near his uncle Uriah Levy.
Levy was elected as a Democrat to theFifty-sixth Congress, serving from March 4, 1899, to March 3, 1901. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1900. After this, he resumed law practice in New York City and attended to his real estate and stock investments.
He was later elected to theSixty-second andSixty-third Congresses, serving from March 4, 1911, to March 3, 1915. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1914. He resumed the practice of law in New York City.
Levy was involved with theAmerican Boy Scouts. He resigned from the board along withWilliam Randolph Hearst over poor fundraising actions in 1910.[3]
In 1894 Levy became a member of the New York State Society of theSons of the American Revolution. He was assigned national membership number 4539 and state-society number 439.
A portrait of Levy was painted byGeorge Burroughs Torrey.
After 1985, when Daniel P. Jordan became president of theThomas Jefferson Foundation, he arranged to honor the Levy family - uncle and nephew- at Monticello for their roles in preserving the mansion. Jordan had Rachel Levy's gravesite restored, and the Foundation commissioned a monograph that recognized the contributions of the family and was published in 2001.
In 2001, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation publishedThe Levy Family and Monticello, 1834-1923: Saving Thomas Jefferson's House, a history of Jefferson and Uriah Levy's contributions. That same year, Free Press/Simon & Schuster publishedMarc Leepson'sSaving Monticello: The Levy Family's Epic Quest to Rescue the House that Jefferson Built.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 13th congressional district March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1901 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 13th congressional district March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1913 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 14th congressional district March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
