Henry Morgenthau, Sr., Former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and father of ex-Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, died here today of a cerebral hemorrhage. He was 90 years old.
Morgenthau, who was born in Mannheim, Germany, and was brought to this country at the age of 9, had a life crowded with activity as a financier and diplomat. In 1913 he was named by President Wilson as Ambassador to Turkey and remained in that post until 1917. In 1919 he was made head of a U.S. commission to investigate the conditions of the Jews under the new Polish Republic. Four years later he became chairman of the League of Nations Refugee Settlement Commission and was responsible for the resettlement of 1,000,000 Greek refugees in Asia Minor who had fled from the Turkish Empire.
Extremely active in religious and philanthropic work, Morgenthau was a member of the board of directors of Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York and was a founder of the Bronx House Settlement and helped raise funds for the establishment of the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. He was president of the Free Synagogue of New York, but resigned in 1919 following a dispute with Rabbi Stephen S. Wise over Zionism, which he opposed. He was a member of the executive committee of the B’nai B’rith.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
