Jacob Epstein
Values Codes I – E
Jacob Epstein (1831-1907) was born in Germany and came to the U.S. in 1850.
He lived in New York for a decade before joining the U.S. Army to fight in the Civil War.
After the war, Epstein settled in the Mississippi River town of Burlington and became a successful wool and hide dealer.
Starting in 1885, Epstein won election to the town’s council for ten consecutive years and his council peers chose him four times to serve as mayor pro tempore.
His fourteen elections were one-third of all Iowa Jewish wins in the 19th century.
Source
- Mark Rutzik, Breaking New Ground: The Untold Story of Early America’s Jewish Electoral Pioneers – 1788 to 1920, 2025.
Mark Rutzick is the curator of this Jacob Epstein exhibit.