Philip Cowen Papers
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
- undated, 1873-1935
- undated, 1873-1935
Creator
- Cowen, Philip, 1853-1943 (Person)
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
- Cowen, Philip. Memoirs of an American Jew. New York: The International Press, 1932, pg 21.
- American Jewish Yearbook 5704. Volume 45. Jewish Publication Society of America, 1943, pg 383.
- Cowen, Philip. Memoirs of an American Jew. New York: The International Press, 1932, pgs 144, 151, 204.
- Who’s Who in America. Volume 3. National News Association Inc, 1938, pg. 195.
- Cowen, Philip. Memoirs of an American Jew. New York: The International Press, 1932, pg. 417.
- 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.
Arrangement
The files are arranged according to subjects or last name of correspondent, in alphabetical order. The collection is organized into four series:
- Series I: Individual Correspondence, undated, 1873-1935
- Series II: Biographical Information and Other Interests, undated, 1877-1935
- Series III: American Hebrew, 1889-1932
- Series IV: Immigration and Anti-Semitism, undated, 1899-1933
- Oversized Material (OS 1 and 2), various dates
- Oversized Materials (MAP), Series IV, 1899, 1905-1906
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.
<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
- Agricultural colonies
- Anniversaries
- Antisemitism
- Antisemitism -- Romania
- Antisemitism -- Russia
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Cowen, Philip, 1853-1943
- Economic conditions
- Ellis Island Immigration Station (N.Y. and N.J.)
- Finance
- Jewish question
- Kahn, Zadoc, 1839-1905
- Lazarus, Emma, 1849-1887
- National Farm School (Doylestown, Pa.)
- Newspaper editors
- Passports (U.S.) in Russia
- Photographs
- Publications (documents)
- Research (documents)
- Social service
- Surveys (documents)
- Testimonials
- United States -- Emigration and immigration
- Young Men's Hebrew Association (New York, N.Y.)
- 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