Adolf Kraus
| Adolf Kraus | |
|---|---|
 Adolf Kraus in the Chicago Eagle 1896[1] | |
| Born |
February 26, 1850 Blovice, Bohemia |
| Died |
October 22, 1928 (aged 78) Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Nationality | Austria-Hungary (birth) American (naturalized citizen) |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Religion | Jewish |
Adolf Kraus (February 26, 1850 – October 22, 1928)[2] was a lawyer and Jewish leader.
At the age of 15 he left the Bohemian town of Rokycany where he had grown up and emigrated to the United States. He worked on a farm and in a factory, later settling in Chicago where he completed his law studies before becoming a lawyer. In 1897 he was the second president of the civil service commission. He also became a grand officer of B'nai B'rith (president of Isaiah Temple in Chicago) and a prominent executive of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (nowadays the Union for Reform Judaism).[3]
Kraus had close contacts to American presidents William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson. In his position he also helped Czech and Jewish immigrants to the USA. In 1930 a commemorative plaque of Adolf Kraus was unveiled in the town of Rokycany, on the house where he spent his childhood. However, in the 1940s, during the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany, the plaque was pulled down. The house (No.147 in Havlíčkova ulice Street) was demolished in the 1980s.[4]
Notes
- ↑ Donovan, Henry. "Chicago Eagle". Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- ↑ Who Was Who In America: Adolf Kraus at www.brocku.ca
- ↑ JewishEncyclopedia.com - KRAUS, ADOLF: at jewishencyclopedia.com
- ↑ Rokycany, Havlíčkova ulice at encyklopedierokycan.sweb.cz
Sources
- Adolf Kraus Sends Good Wishes to President Harding, New York Times 1921 article,
- Jewish Encyclopedia article on Adolf Kraus,
- Article on the house in Rokycany where Kraus grew up (in Czech) '