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Philip Cowen Papers

 Collection
Identifier: P-19

Scope and Content Note

Philip Cowen’s papers reflect his accomplishments on both a personal and professional level, from his work as editor of the American Hebrew and Immigration Inspector for the U.S. government, to his affiliations with the major Jewish organizations in New York.

The papers offer extensive material on immigration; particularly for researchers interested in Russian, Romanian, and Chinese Jewish immigration to the United States; Anti-Semitism in the United States, Russia and Ireland; Russian passport question; Kishinev massacres; and Ellis Island Board of Special Inquiry. Of special interest are surveys Cowen conducted, on the anti-Semitic opinions of American leaders and intellectuals (1890), the needs of the New York Jewish community (1905), and the number of immigrants who become public charges (1906). Significant correspondents in these areas include Cyrus Adler, Nissim E.B. Ezra, Jacob Schiff, Isaac Seligman, Robert Watchorn, and Simon Wolf.

Cowen’s work with the American Hebrew is also well represented in his papers. Material is available on the Baron de Hirsch Fund, B’nai B’rith, Y.M.H.A., Cottage Row Farm School in Boston, Hebrew Technical Institute for Girls, the origins of the Jewish Encyclopedia, and the 50th Anniversary of Temple Emanu-El in New York City. Correspondents include Baron Maurice de Hirsch, Grand Rabbi Zadoc Kahn of France, Joseph Krauskopf, Josephine Lazarus, and Sabato Morais.

The collection contains correspondences, articles, documents, maps, official reports, telegrams, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, photographs, and hand-written notes. The documents are primarily in English with some material in German, Russian, French, and Chinese.

Dates

  • Creation: undated, 1873-1935
  • Creation: undated, 1873-1935

Creator

Language of Materials

The collection is in English, Russian, German, French, and Chinese.

Language of Materials

The collection is in English, Russian, German, French, and Chinese.

Access Restrictions

The collection is open to all researchers, except items that may be restricted due to their fragility, or privacy.

Use Restrictions

No permission is required to quote, reproduce or otherwise publish manuscript materials found in this collection, as long as the usage is scholarly, educational, and non-commercial. For inquiries about other usage, please contact the Director of Collections and Engagement at mmeyers@ajhs.org.

For reference questions, please email: inquiries@cjh.org

Biographical Note

Philip Cowen was born on July 26, 1853, the second of eight children, on the “Southeast corner of Walker and Mulberry Streets” on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. His parents, Raphael Isaac Keil and Julia Manasseh, were German immigrants who made their way to America via England. In England, Raphael Isaac changed his last name from Keil to his original surname Cowen in reminiscence of his Jewish ancestry. Philip Cowen was brought up in a religious environment with emphasis placed on both Jewish studies and participation in the community. As a child Philip Cowen attended both public school as well as religious school at the Spanish-Portuguese synagogue on 19th Street. He was also a member of Congregation Adereth El on 135 East 29th Street. At the age of thirteen Cowen began studying at City College; however, unsatisfied with his falling grades, he left college after the first year. Cowen married Lillie Goldsmith on March 20, 1887 and had one child, Elfrida Dora Cowen.

As a youth, Cowen took an avid interest in the printing business. It was this job that catalyzed his future career in publishing. Cowen established a small printing business with his friend, Sam Greenbaum, in the basement of his house that he later ran on his own. In 1878, Cowen started another printing business with Henry Kahrs. Despite Cowen’s lack of education, he had a literary talent, and was active in Jewish publications throughout his youth. He wrote articles for the B’nai Brith Lodge that were published in the Jewish Messenger and Hebrew Leader. Cowen edited manuscript journals for the Young Men's Hebrew Association (Y.M.H.A) and was the New York editor of the Philadelphia Y.M.H.A journal Association Review.

The American Hebrew was the inspiration of Rev. Dr. Frederic de Sola Mendes, who had published Independent Hebrew for a short time in 1876. With the termination of the weekly Reformer and Jewish Times in 1879, there existed a void left for a Jewish weekly in New York City. Mendes, who was familiar with Cowen’s experience in printing as well as his involvement in journalism, propositioned Cowen to start a new Jewish newspaper coined the American Hebrew. The paper began production on November 21, 1879 and used an anonymous nine member editorial board as its foundation, allowing the views expressed to come from a variety of religious and community leaders. The editors wished to keep their young age confidential and to protect themselves from liability. Their identities were publicly revealed on the thirty-third anniversary of the paper and included many notables such as Daniel P. Hayes, Cyrus L. Sultzberger, Solomon Solis Cohen, Max Cohen, and Samuel Greenbaum, among others. The views they expressed were Conservative, criticizing Reform Judaism, advocating Sabbath observance, and offering strong discussions on Jewish concerns including immigration, labor, culture, Jewish education, Zionism, Christian-Jewish relations, politics, and anti-Semitism. The paper was composed of editorials, letters to editors, a children’s section, local and out of town news, and transcripts of speeches, sermons and meeting reports of Jewish interest.

During his twenty-seven years as editor of American Hebrew, Philip Cowen published works of revered contemporaries such as Emma Lazarus’ Songs of a Semite; Dr. Alexander Kohut’s Ethics of the Fathers; Oscar S. Straus’ Religious Liberty in the United States; Dr. Kauffmann Kohler’s Guide for Instruction in Judaism as well as many others. He also published his own works such as Prejudice Against the Jews in special issues for American Hebrew. Cowen resigned from the American Hebrew in 1906.

As a child, Cowen met Polish immigrants and later worked on Americanizing newcomers at the Y.M.H.A. His work for American Hebrew delved into the problems of immigrants. In 1905, by Executive Order from President Theodore Roosevelt, he became Immigration Inspector on the Board of Special Inquiry, granting him the power to decide if applicants who were not eligible could land at Ellis Island. Cowen advanced as Inspector-In-Charge of the Division of Information for Employment and later was put in charge of the Discharging and Information Division of Ellis Island. Cowen’s work included special studies such as investigating the inferior railroad travel from Ellis Island to immigrants’ destinations. In 1906, President Roosevelt commissioned him to travel to Russia to examine the conditions that spurred large mass migrations to the United States and to investigate reports of pogroms. Cowen reported that the Russian government was responsible for the pogroms, by encouraging officers through promotions and other benefits to partake in such massacres. Cowen retired from the Immigration Service in 1927. In addition to his work, he spoke on immigration for the New York City Board of Education Public Lecture Corps. In 1890, he had also served as Special Agent for the 11th census, gathering Jewish statistics. Throughout his career as an Immigration Inspector for the U.S. government, Cowen often corresponded with other noted Jewish figures in regard to these prevalent issues. Among his correspondents were Jacob Schiff, Israel Zangwill, and Anatole Leroy-Beaulieu.

Philip Cowen’s professional credentials include life-long affiliations with the major Jewish organizations and societies of New York. Since his youth he was a member of the Y.M.H.A. Cowen was a founder of The Judaeans, a society established in 1897 devoted to promote the “intellectual and spiritual interest of Jews,” and acted as secretary for The Judaeans for ten years. The Judaeans promoted Jewish culture and encouraged the resolution of prevalent issues in the Jewish community. Cowen was also secretary for B’nai Brith, and was active in the organization for more than fifty years. His acute memories are recorded in his autobiography Memoirs of an American Jew, published in 1932.

Philip Cowen died on April 20th, 1943 in New Rochelle, New York. He possessed a strong, unwavering commitment to the Jews of New York and around the world, as well as to other immigrants searching for a safe haven in America. He was a pivotal Jewish figure in a revolutionary period of New York’s history, characterized by his incessant dedication to others throughout his life.

CHRONOLOGY

1853
July 26th, born to Raphael Isaac and Julia Cowen in New York City
1879
Founded the Jewish newspaper American Hebrew with Rev. Dr. Frederic de Sola Mendes
1887
March 20th, married Lillie Goldsmith
1890
Collected Jewish church statistics for the census
Wrote a symposium: Prejudice Against the Jews: Its Nature, Its Causes and Its Remedy
1891
Published work: Progress of the Jew
1905
Entered U.S. Immigration Service as an Immigration Inspector
Investigated and corresponded with other individuals about the issue of Russian loans given by Jewish philanthropists
1906
Resigned as editor of American Hebrew
Sent to Russia by President Roosevelt to investigate Jewish pogroms
1927
Retired as Dean of Immigration Inspectors
Conducted an immigration inquiry office under the auspices of the People’s Institute 6
1932
Published an autobiography: Memoirs of an American Jew
1937
Public acknowledgment given by Mayor Fiorella H. Laguardia from favors received by Cowen during Laguardia’s job as a clerk in the immigration service
1943
April 20th, died; New Rochelle, New York

References

  1. Cowen, Philip. Memoirs of an American Jew. New York: The International Press, 1932, pg 21.
  2. American Jewish Yearbook 5704. Volume 45. Jewish Publication Society of America, 1943, pg 383.
  3. Cowen, Philip. Memoirs of an American Jew. New York: The International Press, 1932, pgs 144, 151, 204.
  4. Who’s Who in America. Volume 3. National News Association Inc, 1938, pg. 195.
  5. Cowen, Philip. Memoirs of an American Jew. New York: The International Press, 1932, pg. 417.
  6. Universal Jewish Encyclopedia. Volume 3.

Extent

1.75 Linear Feet (4 manuscript boxes, 1 map folder, and one map folder.)

1.75 Linear Feet (4 manuscript boxes, 1 map folder, and one map folder.)

Abstract

Philip Cowen (1853-1943) was a Conservative Jew who grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Though he only studied for one year at the City College of New York, the literary-minded Cowen became the founder (with Rev. Dr. Frederic de Sola Mendes) and editor of the Conservative Jewish publication, the American Hebrew from its inception in 1879 until his resignation in 1906. In 1905, Cowen was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt to the Ellis Island positions of Immigration Inspector on the Board of Special Inquiry, determining the fitness of émigrés to the United States, and later advanced to Inspector-In-Charge of the Division of Information for Employment and the Discharging and Information Division. In addition, Cowen was a member of the Young Men's Hebrew Association, was a founder of the The Judeans society, a secretary for B'nai B'rith, and published an autobiography entitled Memoirs of an American Jew (1932). Documents include writings and material on immigration, surveys of American leaders and intellectuals on Anti-Semitism, and background materials for articles written in the American Hebrew. The collection contains correspondence, articles, documents, official reports, telegrams, clippings, pamphlets, photographs, and handwritten notes.

Physical Location

Located in AJHS New York, NY

Custodial History

Philip Cowen donated his papers to the Society in 1935. The Joseph E. Hertz/Philip Cowen correspondence, donated by the Eleanor and Morris Soble Foundation, were incorporated into the collection.

Related Material

The Papers of Israel Zangwill (P-225) also contain correspondence with Cowen. The American Hebrew merged with the Jewish Messenger in 1905. The library contains microfilm of both newspapers. Cowen's work Prejudice Against the Jews, its Nature, its Causes, and its Remedies published in the American Hebrew (1890), and Memoirs of an American Jew may be found in the library collection of the American Jewish Historical Society. Material regarding Cowen and Ellis Island may also be found in the Papers of Max James Kohler (P-7). The National Archives and Records Administration digitzed a report written by Philip Cowen about his 1906 trip to Russia.

<emph render="italic">American Hebrew</emph>

Cyrus Adler
b1f1
Box 1, Folder 1
Frank, Ray
b1f9
Box 1, Folder 9
Hirsch, Baron Maurice de (1894)
b3f2
Box 3, Folder 2
Isaacs, Samuel H. (1903)
b1f42
Box 1, Folder 42
Jacobs, Joseph
b4f13
Box 4, Folder 13
Kahn, Zadoc (1898)
b3f4
Box 3, Folder 4
Kohler, Kaufmann
b3f4
Box 3, Folder 4
Kohut, George Alexander
b1f17
Box 1, Folder 17
Lazarus, Josephine
b1f18
Box 1, Folder 18
Lewinson, Benno
b1f43
Box 1, Folder 43
Lubin, David (1900)
b1f21
Box 1, Folder 21
Markham, Edwin
b1f42
Box 1, Folder 42
Morais, Sabato
b3f9
Box 3, Folder 9
Schechter, Solomon (1905)
b1f28
Box 1, Folder 28
Seligman, Isaac (1905)
b1f32
Box 1, Folder 32
Simon, Oswald, John
b3f9
Box 3, Folder 9
Solis-Cohen, Solomon
b1f33
Box 1, Folder 33
Solomons, Adolphus S.
b1f34
Box 1, Folder 34
Sulzberger, Mayer
b1f35
Box 1, Folder 35

Chinese Jews

Benjamin, Ezra Nissim Ezra
b5f3
Box 5, Folder 3

Constantinople Massacre

Tuska, Benjamin
b1f36
Box 1, Folder 36

Ellis Island

American, Sadie
b4f9
Box 4, Folder 9
Razovsky, Cecelia
b4f9
Box 4, Folder 9

Immigration

Ash, Mark
b1f2
Box 1, Folder 2
Bijur, Nathan
b3f4
Box 3, Folder 4
Loeb, Morris
b1f19
Box 1, Folder 19
McAdoo, William
b5f4
Box 5, Folder 4
Montefiore, Claude (J.C.A.)
b1f23
Box 1, Folder 23
Nathan, Paul
b1f42
Box 1, Folder 42
Watchorn, Robert
b5f4
Box 5, Folder 4

Ireland, Anti-Semitism

Weinstock, H.
b1f37
Box 1, Folder 37

<emph render="italic">Jewish Encyclopedia</emph>

Deutsch, Gotthard
b3f8
Box 3, Folder 8
Singer, Isidore
b3f8
Box 3, Folder 8

Jewish Welfare Network

Lehman, Emanuel (1901)
b1f42
Box 1, Folder 42
Louis, Minnie D. (1891)
b1f20
Box 1, Folder 20
Schiff, Mortimer L.
b1f30
Box 1, Folder 30
Stern, Louis (1901)
b1f42
Box 1, Folder 42

"Jews of the U.S."

Isaacs, Abram S.
b1f14
Box 1, Folder 14

Kohut, George Alexander

Correspondence (31 items) (1893-1933)
b1f17
Box 1, Folder 17

Loans from Jewish bankers to Russian government (1905)

Schiff, Jacob Henry
b1f29
Box 1, Folder 29
Seligman, Isaac N.
b1f32
Box 1, Folder 32
White, Andrew D.
b1f38
Box 1, Folder 38
Wolf, Simon
b1f39
Box 1, Folder 39

Miscellaneous Correspondence

Adler, Cyrus
b1f1
Box 1, Folder 1
Caine, Hall (1898)
b1f41
Box 1, Folder 41
Cleveland, Grover
b3f5
Box 3, Folder 5
Gross, Charles (1888)
b1f41
Box 1, Folder 41
Hirsch, Solomon
b1f44
Box 1, Folder 44
Kohler, Max J.
b1f15
Box 1, Folder 15
Marshall, Louis
b1f22
Box 1, Folder 22
Mayer, Constant (1905)
b3f4
Box 3, Folder 4
Oliphant, L. (1883)
b1f41
Box 1, Folder 41
Schiff, Jacob Henry
b1f29
Box 1, Folder 29
Seligman, Isaac N.
b1f32
Box 1, Folder 32
Washington, Booker T. (1903)
b1f42
Box 1, Folder 42

National Farm School

Krauskopf, Joseph
b3f2
Box 3, Folder 2
Schiff, Jacob Henry
b3f2
Box 3, Folder 2

Personal Correspondence

Ash, Mark
b1f2
Box 1, Folder 2
Gottheil, Richard
b1f10
Box 1, Folder 10
Kohler, Max J.
b1f15
Box 1, Folder 15
Lewisohn, Adolph
b1f43
Box 1, Folder 43
Loeb, Morris
b1f19
Box 1, Folder 19
Schiff, Jacob Henry
b1f29
Box 1, Folder 29
Schiff, Mortimer
b1f30
Box 1, Folder 30
Seligman, Edwin R.
b1f31
Box 1, Folder 31

Emma Lazarus Memorial Issue (1887)

Transferred to the Emma Lazarus Papers, #P-2

Rabbinical Correspondence

Cohen, Henry
b1f4
Box 1, Folder 4
Hertz, Joseph H.
b1f12
Box 1, Folder 12
Hirsch, Emil G. (1901)
b1f40
Box 1, Folder 40
Jastrow, Morris Jr. (1800)
b1f40
Box 1, Folder 40
Krauskopf, Joseph (1885-1886)
b1f40
Box 1, Folder 40
Levy, J. Leonard (1902)
b1f40
Box 1, Folder 40
Mendes, H. Pereira (1900-1906)
b1f40
Box 1, Folder 40
Rubenstein, O.A. (1902)
b1f40
Box 1, Folder 40

Roumania, Anti-Semitism

Blaustein, David
b1f3
Box 1, Folder 3
Hay, John
b3f5
Box 3, Folder 5
Powderly, Terence V.
b3f5
Box 3, Folder 5
Reynolds, James B.
b1f25
Box 1, Folder 25
Schiff, Jacob Henry
b1f29
Box 1, Folder 29
Seligman, Isaac N.
b1f32
Box 1, Folder 32
Straus, Oscar S.
b4f3
Box 4, Folder 3

Russia, Anti-Semitism and the Passport Question

Adler, Cyrus
b1f1
Box 1, Folder 1
Goldfogle, Henry Mayer
b3f5
Box 3, Folder 5
Kraus, Adolf
b2f1
Box 2, Folder 1
Lewisohn, Adolph
b1f42
Box 1, Folder 42
Schurman, J.G.
b1f42
Box 1, Folder 42
Seligman, Isaac N.
b1f32
Box 1, Folder 32
Weber, John B.
b1f42
Box 1, Folder 42
White, Andrew D.
b1f38
Box 1, Folder 38, 39

Survey, Anti-Semitism (1890)

Burroughs, John
b3f11
Box 3, Folder 11
Dana, Charles A.
b3f11
Box 3, Folder 11
Godkin, E.L.
b3f11
Box 3, Folder 11
Hay, John
b3f10
Box 3, Folder 10
Howells, William Dean
b3f11
Box 3, Folder 11
Ingersoll, Robert G.
b3f10
Box 3, Folder 10
Roosevelt, Theodore
b3f11
Box 3, Folder 11
Schurz, Carl
b3f10
Box 3, Folder 10
Vance, Zebulon B.
b3f10
Box 3, Folder 10

United States, Anti-Semitism

Sabath, Adolph J. (1910)
b5f4
Box 5, Folder 4
Solomons, Adolphus S.
b1f34
Box 1, Folder 34

Wolf, Simon

Correspondence (35 items) concerning anti-Semitism in Russia, the passport question, immigration to the U.S., the formation of the American Jewish Committee, and the B’nai B’rith. Includes one letter from Count Sergius Y. Witte
b1f39
Box 1, Folder 39

Y.M.H.A.

Sulzberger, Cyrus (1877)
b2f6
Box 2, Folder 6

Index

Index is arranged by primary subject (i.e. American Hebrew), and persons within the collection connected to that subject (i.e., Adler, Cyrus in connection to the American Hebrew). Box and folder numbers correspond to the location of materials.
Title
Guide to the Papers of Philip Cowen (1853-1943), undated, 1873-1935 P-19
Status
Completed
Author
Processed by Aviva S. Zuckerman, Hadassah Rutman, and Adina Anflick.
Date
©2003
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is in English.
Edition statement
This version was derived from PhilipCowen02.xml

Revision Statements

  • March 2005.: Finding aid updated by Adina Anflick. Changes in EAD by Tanya Elder. Removed boilerplate entities.
  • March, June 2020: EHyman: post-ASpace migration cleanup

Repository Details

Part of the American Jewish Historical Society Repository

Contact:
15 West 16th Street
New York NY 10011 United States