Philip Cowen Papers

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.

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