Philo Jacoby
Values Codes I – H – E – P
Philo Jacoby, #WS16/2280
Philo Jacoby was born in 1837 at Lauenberg, a province of Pomerania, which is now Lebork, Poland.
San Francisco
Third Mate Philo Jacoby arrived in San Francisco in 1859 on the clipper ship Whirlwind.
Jacoby established one of the longest-lived Jewish newspapers of San Francisco, The Hebrew, n December 1863.
The Hebrew was published for 70 years until 1923.
Philo Jacoby was also known for his athletic prowess. He was considered America’s top Rifle Marksman in the 1860’s and 1870’s.
Golden Jubilee Rifle Matches, San Francisco, #WS16/2282
Jacoby was introduced to riflemanship by Captain John A. Sutter of Sutter’s Mill, birthplace of the California Gold Rush.
His career as a marksman included three trips to Europe, in which he beat all the competition of Prussia, Switzerland, Austria and Germany.
One of his Gold Medals was presented by Emperor Franz Joseph.
A diamond badge was awarded to Philo Jacoby in 1890 by the Riflemen of California.
Philo Jacoby’s victory at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876 resulted in his being named “Champion Rifle Shot in the West.”
Additionally, Jacoby was an athlete and strongman of distinction.
Philo Jacoby never married.
Philo Jacoby died in 1922
“Philo Jacoby was an ideal ambassador for California. In a refreshing refutation of stereotypes, his brawn was equally matched, if not surpassed by his brains. His Character was unblemished. Philo Jacoby, the sharpshooter, was right on target as a true pioneer of American California and its first sportsman of international repute.”
— William M. Kramer & Reva Clar
Sources
- Reva Clar and William M. Kramer, “Philo Jacoby: California’s First International Sportsman, Part 1,” Western States Jewish History 22/1.
- Reva Clar and William M. Kramer, “Philo Jacoby: California’s First International Sportsman, Part 2,” Western States Jewish History 22/2.
- Reva Clar and William M. Kramer, “Philo Jacoby: California’s First International Sportsman, Part 3,” Western States Jewish History 22/3.
- “Philo Jacoby: America’s Top Sharpshooter,” Western States Jewish Historical Quarterly 9/1.
- Reva Clar, “Athlete and Artist: A Footnote to the Lives of Philo Jacoby and Solomon Sulzer,” Western States Jewish History 17/3.
- Norton B. Stern, “Philo Jacoby,” Western States Jewish History 41/1.
