Joseph Fels
Joseph Fels | |
|---|---|
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US | |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Soap manufacturer |
| Spouse | Mary Fels |
| Family | Samuel Simeon Fels (brother) |
Joseph Fels (16 December 1853Georgist and philanthropist.
Biography
Born of German Jewish immigrants in Halifax County, Virginia, Fels moved with his family to Baltimore in 1866; by 1876 he had assumed control of a soap manufacturing company based in Philadelphia, and brought two of his brothers in as partners shortly after. One of them, Samuel Simeon Fels, became president of the firm.
In 1894 he developed the
Dial Corporation
as of 2011.
While his own fortune rapidly accumulated, as early as 1890 Fels had become an adherent of
single-tax colony in Fairhope, Alabama, and many similar experiments in England such as the one founded at Nispell’s Farm at Mayland in Essex in 1906.[3] Fels employed Charles Holden
to design the farm cottages at that site.
From 1906 through 1912 Fels also contributed to the
Russian Social Democratic (Communist) party. [Source: Simon Sebag Montefiore, "Young Stalin."] His only child, Irving S. Fels, died in infancy.[4]
References
- ISBN 0710813198.
- ^ "Joseph Fels Dead; Rich Single Taxer". The Sun. 23 February 1914. p. 9. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ Historical Society of Pennsylvania (1953). "Joseph and Mary Fels Papers" (PDF). Retrieved 20 November 2017.
- ^ a b Weinbaum, Elliot. "Mary Fels 1863 – 1953". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
Sources
- Fels, Mary (1916). Joseph Fels: His Life-Work. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 1-4286-6155-7.
External links
- The Joseph and Mary Fels Papers, including correspondence and other printed materials, are available for research use at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
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