Benjamin Levy

Benjamin Levy was the first major Jewish printer and publisher in thesouth, possibly in the country. The son of Simeonand Hetty Levy, his younger sisters were JuliaLevy Solomons and Miriam levy.Born in New York in 1786, Levy moved to New Orleans around 1810,among the frist Jews to settle there. In 1817, he married Emilieprieur 1817. They had 2 children, Alexander and Mathilda.

He trained as bookbinder, and in 1811 opened a book and stationeryshop in New Orleans. In 1817 he began publishing and in 1822 starteda printing company specializing in law books. That same year hefounded the New Orleans Price-Current and CommercialIntelligencer, the city’s first business journal. However, withthe banking crisis of 1837, Levy’s luck began to change. Hedeclared bankruptcy in 1843. Although he tried his luck again inprinting, creating a company under his son’s name, Alexander Levy &Co. in 1858, it met the same fate as its predecessor.

Benjamin Levy

1822