17 Facts About Judah Touro

Judah Touro was an American businessman and philanthropist.

Judah Touro died in 1787, and Judah and his siblings were raised by his uncle, a merchant who helped found Boston's first bank.

Judah Touro fell in love with his cousin but was forbidden marriage by her father, who sent him on a trading voyage to the Mediterranean in hopes of ending the romance.

Judah Touro went to New Orleans in October 1801 where he opened a small store.

Judah Touro sold soap, candles, codfish, and other exports of New England, eventually becoming a prominent merchant and ship owner, particularly after the Louisiana Purchase propelled the growth of the region and its commerce.

Judah Touro enlisted in Andrew Jackson's army in the War of 1812 in spite of poor health.

Judah Touro was physically incapacitated from fighting, so he volunteered to carry ammunition to the batteries in the Battle of New Orleans, in which he was struck on the thigh by a 12-pound shot which tore off a large mass of the flesh.

Judah Touro was given up for dead but was saved by Rezin Davis Shepherd, a Virginia merchant.

Judah Touro recovered for a year after the war, then resumed building his business interests in shipping, trade, and real estate.

Judah Touro made a point of never mortgaging current properties to acquire new ones, and he lived a simple life in a small apartment.

Judah Touro was a major contributor to many Christian charities in New Orleans, as well as to such varied causes as the American Revolutionary War monument at Bunker Hill, and the relief of victims of a large fire in Mobile, Alabama.

Judah Touro participated in charity on a personal level, giving $1,500 to a woman who asked for help for her starving children and paying the $900 debt of an alcoholic man with a large family so that the man's children would be spared the separation from their parent.

Rev Theodore Clapp reported that Judah Touro had given him not less than $20,000 over the course of their friendship.

Judah Touro's bequeaths funded the first Jewish residential settlement and almshouse outside the Old City of Jerusalem, Mishkenot Sha'ananim.

Judah Touro's will gave more than $500,000 to different causes, a sum which would equal approximately $9 million in modern terms.

Judah Touro is buried in the Jewish Touro Cemetery of Newport.

Judah Touro lived in New Orleans for more than 50 years, and at the time of his death, was one of the wealthiest and most prominent members of the city's Jewish community.