MARKS, SAMUEL

MARKS, SAMUEL
MARKS, SAMUEL (1845–1920), South African industrialist and financier. Marks, who was born in Neustadt-Sugrind, Lithuania, emigrated to the Cape in 1868. With the Lewis brothers, he founded the firm of Lewis and Marks, which eventually controlled large industrial and mining undertakings in the Transvaal. The partners began as traveling traders ("tochers"). When diamonds were discovered they moved to Kimberley, where they opened the first general store in a prefabricated wooden building brought from the Cape by wagon. Lewis and Marks established themselves in the Transvaal in the 1880s, first on the Barberton gold workings and later on the Rand and in Pretoria. Marks, who was popularly known as Sammy, was noted for his salty humor and his fondness for biblical quotations. He understood the Boer outlook, particularly that of his friend President Kruger. He assisted the Transvaal government financially, obtained industrial concessions, and acquired land on the Vaal River on which he founded the town of Vereeniging. He developed rich coal deposits in the area, established fruit farms, and planted extensive forests. He also started the manufacture of bricks, glass, and leather goods and pioneered the steel industry. In 1897 Marks accompanied a deputation to Kruger asking, with indifferent results, for the repeal of laws which placed disabilities upon Jews in common with other non-Protestants and uitlanders ("foreigners"). In the conflict between the Boers and the British he commanded the respect of leaders on both sides and was a mediator in the negotiations which ended the South African War in 1902. He served as a senator in the first Union Parliament in 1910. Marks donated £10,000 for the statue of President Kruger which now stands in the center of Pretoria. In 1896 he helped endow the first chair in Hebrew studies at the South African College, later the University of Cape Town, and in 1905 founded a Hebrew school in Pretoria. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: L. Herrman, History of the Jews in South Africa (1935); P.H. Emden, Randlords (1935), index; G. Saron and L. Hotz (eds.), Jews in South Africa (1955). ADD. BIBLIOGRAPHY: G. Wheatcroft, The Randlords (1985), index.

Encyclopedia Judaica. 1971.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Marks, Samuel — (1845–1920)    South African industrialist. ‘Sammy’ Marks arrived in South Africa as a penniless young immigrant from Lithuania. He settled in the Transvaal, made a fortune from mining, industry and farming, and became a close personal friend of… …   Who’s Who in Jewish History after the period of the Old Testament

  • Marks — ist der Name folgender Personen: Albert S. Marks (1836–1891), US amerikanischer Politiker Annemarie Marks Rocke (1901–2004), deutsche Schauspielerin und Schauspiellehrerin Audrey Marks, jamaikanische Unternehmerin und Diplomatin Caren Marks (*… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Samuel Baldwin Marks Young — (January 9 1840 ndash; September 1 1924) was a United States Army general. He also served as the first president of Army War College between 1902 and 1903. He then served from 1903 until 1904 as the first Chief of Staff of the United States… …   Wikipedia

  • SAMUEL HA-NAGID — (Ismail ibn Nagrelʿa; 993–1055 or 1056), vizier of granada , statesman, poet, scholar, and military commander. The meteoric rise and political and military career of Samuel ha Nagid marks the highest achievement of a Jew in medieval Muslim Spain …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Samuel Nunez — Samuel Nunezs (1668–1744) was a Portuguese physician and among the earliest Jews to settle in North America. A few months after their February 1733 arrival from England, an epidemic began claiming the lives of the first 114 colonists of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Samuel Francis Smith — Samuel Francis Smith, (1808 1895), Baptist minister, journalist and author, is best known for having written the lyrics to My Country, Tis of Thee, which he entitled America . Early Life and EducationSamuel Francis Smith was born in Boston,… …   Wikipedia

  • Samuel Dale — (* 1659 in Whitechapel; † 6. Juni 1739 in Bocking, Essex) war ein englischer Arzt und Botaniker. Sein offizielles botanisches Autorenkürzel lautet „S.Dale“. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben und Wirken 2 Ehrentaxon …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Samuel Porter Jones — (October 16, 1847 October 15, 1906) was one of the most celebrated revivalists of his day, at the close of the 19th century. Famous for his wry wit and masterful story telling, he is credited as a principal influence on Will Rogers.Jones is… …   Wikipedia

  • Samuel Fielden — (February 25, 1847 February 7, 1922) was a socialist, anarchist and labor activist who was one of eight convicted in the 1886 Haymarket bombing.Early lifeSamuel Fielden was born in Todmorden, Lancashire, England to Abram and Alice (nee Jackson)… …   Wikipedia

  • Samuel Wilson — (September 13, 1766 July 31, 1854) was a meat packer in Troy, New York whose name is purportedly the source of the personification of the United States known as Uncle Sam . Samuel was born in historic Arlington (known as Menotomy at the time),… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”