Uriah P. Levy

Uriah P. Levy

Uriah Phillips Levy (April 22, 1792 – March 26, 1862) was the first Jewish Commodore of the United States Navy, a veteran of the War of 1812 and a major philanthropist. At the time, Commodore was the highest rank obtainable in the U.S. Navy and would be roughly equivalent to the modern-day rank of Admiral. During his tenure, he was instrumental in helping to end the Navy's practice of flogging, and prevailed against the antisemitic prejudice he faced among some of his fellow naval officers.

In 1834 Levy purchased and began the restoration of Thomas Jefferson's estate, Monticello, near Charlottesville, Virginia. His donation of it to the United States Congress in 1862 was rejected due to the wartime crisis. In 1879 his nephew Jefferson Monroe Levy bought out other heirs and contracted for renewed restoration and preservation of the property. Their work and private money preserved it for the American people. In 1923 Monticello was purchased by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation and adapted as a house museum. Uriah Levy commissioned a bronze statue of Jefferson in France in 1832 and donated it to Congress. Now in the Capitol Rotunda, it is the only privately commissioned artwork in the Capitol.

Levy was the namesake of the World War II Cannon class destroyer escort, the Levy (DE-162).