Solomon Levey

Solomon Levey (* 1794 in the UK, † October 10, 1833 in London, United Kingdom ) was an Anglo- Australian Emanzipist and businessman. He was sentenced as a young man in 1813 for stealing a box of tea to seven years of convict labor. He even denied the fact, but was still in 1814 transported to Australia, where he arrived in January 1815 on the Marquis of Wellington to New South Wales. There he developed after a short time to successful traders and financial expert; he built up the largest trading house of the former colony and became a director of the Bank of New South Wales. He was ruined by a business relationship with Thomas Peel, who wanted to found the British Swan River Colony and thus failed.

Personal

On 8 February 1819 he was amnestied and three days later he married Ann, daughter of William Roberts, who appropriated his daughter over land and cattle to the wedding. In November 1819, a common son and a daughter was born in 1822, who died in their childhood. Ann left him in 1824 and Levey remained unmarried in his later life.

He supported institution dedicated to charitable and religious matters and managed the Sydney Public Grammar School. Solomon Levey was the Jewish faith. His brother Barnett was the first free Jewish settlers in the colony and another brother, Isaac, was instrumental in the founding of the Sydney Jewish Congregation.

When he left in 1826 because of his partnership with Thomas Peel to London, he promoted alongside other business activities and the emigration of British Jews to New South Wales.

Business

When he arrived in Australia in 1815, he immediately took on a commercial activity that was highly successful. Levey worked as a businessman, ship brokers and merchant. He had a base in Tahiti, which he transported goods this island on his own ships, a water mill in Liverpool, a rope factory, pasture land and real estate in Argyle and Cumberland. Shortly after his Amnesty he was director of the Bank of New South Wales, where he advocated lower interest rates and business relationship with British companies and the colonial economy helped.

In June 1825 Levey was a business relationship with Daniel Cooper, and they took over the Lachlan and Waterloo Co.. They founded on May 6, 1826, Cooper & Levey, an import and export company, dealing in wool, vessels owned and built, maritime trade, whale and seal hunting business and owned the Waterloo Warehouse in George Street in Sydney. They led one of the largest trading companies in the British colony, the country also owned property in Waterloo, Alexandria, Redfern, Randwick and at Neutral Bay.

In December 1829 Levey business partner of Thomas Peel, went to London and supported from there the settlement of the Swan River Colony, later to Western Australia. While Levey Executive Director of the Thomas Peel & Co. in London, was Peel pursued the business of this company in Western Australia. Peel's settlement project failed and he ruined so also Levey, he never informed about his problems and their economic activities. Levey told until 1832 by the British colonial government of the economic debacle and died after a brief illness in London at the age of 39 years in 1833.

Others

Port Levy is a bay and settlement in Canterbury in New Zealand, which is named after Levey - remarkably, not quite correctly written.