Biography

Noah was the most influential Jew in the United States in the early 19th Century. He was an editor, journalist, playwright, politician, lawyer, court of appeals judge, New York Port surveyor, a major in the New York military, and zionist.

His father both contributed financially the Revolutionary War and also fought in it. Thus, Noah was  an ardent patriot throughout his life. After his mother's death, he moved to live with his family in Charleston. At the age of 26, he wrote forceful editorials in a Charleston newspaper advocating for the War of 1812. As a result of his editorials, he was appointed the U.S. Consul to Tunis. In 1815, he returned and settled in New York to engage in journalism and politics. He published the National Advocate and the New York Enquirer and also edited The Evening Star and The Sunday Times. He was also a playwright, which reflected his patriotic fervor. He wrote Fortress of Sorrento (1808), She Would Be A Soldier (1819), and Siege of Tripoli (1820), which was produced many times under different titles. Noah supported education and medical care. He was a founder of New York University and he projected the idea of a Jewish hospital, Mt. Sinai, which came into being after his death.