Joseph Fels | |
|---|---|
 Fels in 1910 | |
| Born | 16 December 1853 |
| Died | 22 February 1914 (age 60) |
| Occupation | Soap manufacturer |
| Spouse | Mary Fels |
| Family | Samuel Simeon Fels (brother) |
Joseph Fels (16 December 1853[1]–22 February 1914[2]) was an American soap manufacturer, millionaire,Georgist and philanthropist.
Born ofGerman Jewish immigrants inHalifax County, Virginia, Fels moved with his family toBaltimore in 1866; by 1876 he had assumed control of a soap manufacturing company based inPhiladelphia, and brought two of his brothers in as partners shortly after. One of them,Samuel Simeon Fels, became president of the firm.
In 1894 he developed theFels-Naptha soap brand, historically used as ahome remedy in the treatment ofcontact dermatitis caused by exposure topoison ivy,poison oak, and other oil-transmitted organic skin-irritants. The soap is still marketed by theDial Corporation as of 2011.
While his own fortune rapidly accumulated, as early as 1890 Fels had become an adherent ofHenry George and his proposedland value tax. Fels funded the founding of the Georgist colony ofArden, Delaware, in 1900, managed by architectWilliam Lightfoot Price and sculptorFrank Stephens. This was one of several experimental labor colonies he funded. In 1894 he made financial contributions to the founding of thesingle-tax colony in Fairhope, Alabama, and many similar experiments inEngland such as the one founded at Nispell’s Farm atMayland inEssex in 1906.[3] Fels employedCharles Holden to design the farm cottages at that site.
From 1906 through 1912 Fels also contributed to theJewish Territorialist Organization, in hopes that aJewish homeland would be founded alongGeorgist principle. His wife, Mary (née Rothschild), continued to support this cause after Fels' death frominfluenza on 22 February 1914;[4] his brother Samuel also remained an active philanthropist. Fels also gave money to theRussian Social Democratic (Communist) party. [Source: Simon Sebag Montefiore, "Young Stalin."] His only child, Irving S. Fels, died in infancy.[4]
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