TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Finding Aid to the David M. Klein Collection. 1860-1935.
Manuscript Collection No. 695
Introduction |
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| Repository: | The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives |
| Title: | David M. Klein Collection. |
| Dates: | 1860-1935 |
| Quantity: | 0.8 linear feet (2 Hollinger boxes) |
| Abstract: | The David M. Klein collection contains photographs, a diary, scrapbooks, nearprint materials, correspondence, and genealogical information from the family of philanthropist and businessman Adolphus S. Solomons of Washington, D.C. Span dates for the collection are 1860-1935, although the bulk of the items are from the late 19th century. Of particular interest is a typed transcription of a Civil War era diary (1864) by Solomons' teenage niece, Rachel Rosalie Phillips |
| Collection Number: | MS-695 |
| Language: | Collection material in English and Hebrew. |
Biographical Sketch
Adolphus S. Solomons, businessman, communal worker, and philanthropist, was born in New York City in 1826. As a young man, he helped found Mount Sinai Hospital. Moving to Washington in 1859, Solomons established the publishing house of Philip & Solomons and did government printing, ran a bookstore, and maintained a photograph gallery. In 1871, he was elected to Washington D.C.'s House of Delegates.
Solomons' greatest achievement was in the service of the American Red Cross, which he helped Clara Barton establish in 1881. While Barton was absent from Washington in 1883, Solomons conducted the young organization's affairs from its Washington headquarters as second vice-president and was described by Barton as "my good vice-president and kind counsellor." Solomons held this office for 12 years and represented the U.S. at the Red Cross conference in Geneva in 1884. Sent by President Chester A. Arthur as the U.S. representative to the International Red Cross convention in 1887, he was elected vice-president of the convention. For 20 years Solomons was director of Columbia Hospital and Living In Asylum, also serving as an executive of many other health institutions.
Solomons was concerned with Jewish survival and served as acting president of the Jewish Theological Seminary Association (1902) and as a member of the central committee of the Alliance Israelite Universelle. Solomons became a champion of the new immigrants from Eastern Europe, and was appointed by Baron de Hirsch as general agent for the Baron de Hirsch Fund in the U.S.
Solomons married Rachel Seixas Phillips in 1851. The couple had eight daughters: Alma, Rosalie, Isabelle, Julia, Ida, Aline, Lily, and Emma. Solomons died in 1910.
Scope and Content Note
The David M. Klein Collection contains photographs, a diary, scrapbooks, nearprint materials, correspondence, and genealogical information from the family of philanthropist and businessman Adolphus S. Solomons of Washington DC. Span dates for the collection are 1860-1935, although the bulk of the items are from the late 19th century.
Of particular significance is a typed transcription of a Civil War era diary (1864) by Solomons' niece, Rachel Rosalie Phillips. In the diary, the teen-aged Phillips details her activities while on an extended visit with her uncle and aunt in Washington D.C. during the winter and spring of 1864. Included is an account of her meeting with Abraham Lincoln and Mrs. Lincoln at a social event.
Other items in the collection include photographs of extended generations of the Solomons family as well as interior and exterior scenes of their home in Washington, D.C. There are also images and genealogies of several related early American colonial Jewish families including the Franks, Seixas, Jacobs, Phillips, and Lopez families. There is nearprint material and clippings from late 19th century publications and periodicals as well as invitations to various Washington, D.C. political and social events. The correspondence includes letters to one of the Solomons daughters from Supreme Court Justices Louis Brandeis and Felix Frankfurter.
Arrangement Note
This collection is arranged in a single series.
Conditions of Access and Use
Terms of Access
The collection is open for use; no restrictions apply.
Terms of Reproduction and Use
Copyright restrictions may apply. Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce, with exceptions for fair use, may be obtained through the American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio. Please address queries to the Executive Director of the American Jewish Archives. For more information, see the American Jewish Archives copyright information webpage.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Footnotes and bibliographic references should refer to the David M. Klein Collection and the American Jewish Archives. A suggestion for at least the first citation is as follows:
[Description], [Date], Box #, Folder #. MS-695. David M. Klein Collection. American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Provenance
The David M. Klein Collection was donated to the American Jewish Archives in March, 2002, by Mr. Jack Klein and his sister, Mrs. Maxine K. Solomon, of Los Angeles, California. The collection was originally given to Mr. Klein by his father, David M. Klein.
Processing Information
Processed by Dorothy Smith, January 2003.
Box and Folder Listing
Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the AJA's online catalog.