Adolf Kraus
Encyclopedia
Adolf Kraus 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
).
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.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and Jewish leader.
At the age of 15 he left the Bohemian town of Rokycany
Rokycany
Rokycany , is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It lies to the East from the region capital of Pilsen on the confluence of the River Klabava and the Holoubkov Brook . Alternatively, the Holoubkovský potok is referred to as the Borecký potok and the section of the Klabava River down...
where he had grown up and emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. 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
B'nai B'rith
B'nai B'rith International |Covenant]]" is the oldest continually operating Jewish service organization in the world. It was initially founded as the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith in New York City, on , 1843, by Henry Jones and 11 others....
(president of Isaiah Temple in Chicago) and a prominent executive of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (nowadays the Union for Reform Judaism
Union for Reform Judaism
The Union for Reform Judaism , formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations , is an organization which supports Reform Jewish congregations in North America. The current President is Rabbi Eric H...
).
Kraus had close contacts to American presidents William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
and Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
. 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.
Sources
- Adolf Kraus Sends Good Wishes to President Harding, New York Times 1921 article, http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9C0DE7DA1431EF33A25752C1A9679D946095D6CF&oref=slogin
- Jewish Encyclopedia article on Adolf Kraus, http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=396&letter=K
- Article on the house in Rokycany where Kraus grew up (in Czech) http://rokycanyhomepage.ic.cz/havlickovaulice.htm'