Harry Wulfsohn
Encyclopedia
Harry Wulfsohn was a partner in Susman Brothers & Wulfsohn. He was born on 10 March 1911 in what was then the Russian province of Courland
, now part of Latvia
. In 1929, when he was eighteen years old, Harry's aunt invited him to travel to South Africa with his sister Marlie. Harry worked for some time in the bar of his aunt's hotel, but did not stay long in South Africa. By 1930, he had followed Marlie to Ndola
, in the copper belt of Northern Rhodesia, where his sister married Abe Lowenithal, to whom she had been engaged before she left Latvia. However, Marlie died three years later. Her younger sister Hessie, who also followed her to Africa, become Abe's second wife in 1934.
Harry did not remain in Ndola, but soon moved south to Lusaka
. He may have been encouraged to leave Ndola by the closure of the Bwana Mkubwa mine in February 1931, which had a devastating effect on the economy of the town. However, another attractive feature of the move to Lusaka was the government's decision to make it the new capital of Northern Rhodesia.
The Lusaka new town project was the only potential growth point in the country from 1931 to 1933. The project was being financed by the Beit trust, while development work on the copperbelt came to a halt. Only Nkana
and the Luanshya
mines had a little activity going on. The copperbelt economy was really in bad shape. On arrival in Lusaka, Wulfsohn got a job with a young Jewish man from Palestine named David Shapiro. In 1933, Shapiro won the contract to supply all the bricks and tiles for the new town project. Shapiro set up trading stores all around Lusaka and profited more than any other local trader from the development of the new capital. But before long, Harry lost his job, and this may have prompted him to set up in business on his own.
In the 1940s, he went into partnership with the Susman brothers
, forming Susman Brothers & Wulfsohn. Harry was a full generation younger than his partners, but shared their Jewish roots in the Russian Empire. The firm of Susman Brothers & Wulfsohn has survived to present day.
Courland
Courland is one of the historical and cultural regions of Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland.- Geography and climate :...
, now part of Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
. In 1929, when he was eighteen years old, Harry's aunt invited him to travel to South Africa with his sister Marlie. Harry worked for some time in the bar of his aunt's hotel, but did not stay long in South Africa. By 1930, he had followed Marlie to Ndola
Ndola
Ndola is the third largest city in Zambia, with a population of 495,000 . It is the industrial, commercial, on the Copperbelt, Zambia's copper-mining region, and capital of Copperbelt Province. It is also the commercial capital city of Zambia and has one of the three international airports, others...
, in the copper belt of Northern Rhodesia, where his sister married Abe Lowenithal, to whom she had been engaged before she left Latvia. However, Marlie died three years later. Her younger sister Hessie, who also followed her to Africa, become Abe's second wife in 1934.
Harry did not remain in Ndola, but soon moved south to Lusaka
Lusaka
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
. He may have been encouraged to leave Ndola by the closure of the Bwana Mkubwa mine in February 1931, which had a devastating effect on the economy of the town. However, another attractive feature of the move to Lusaka was the government's decision to make it the new capital of Northern Rhodesia.
The Lusaka new town project was the only potential growth point in the country from 1931 to 1933. The project was being financed by the Beit trust, while development work on the copperbelt came to a halt. Only Nkana
Nkana
Nkana is a section of the city of Kitwe, Copperbelt Province, Zambia which started off in the early part of the 20th century as a railway station to support the growing complex of copper mining operations. It was named after Chief Nkana, the local traditional ruler...
and the Luanshya
Luanshya
Luanshya is a town in Zambia, in the Copperbelt Province near Ndola. It has a population of 117,579 .Luanshya was founded in the early part of the 20th century after a prospector/explorer, William Collier, shot and killed a Roan Antelope on the banks of the Luanshya River, discovering a copper...
mines had a little activity going on. The copperbelt economy was really in bad shape. On arrival in Lusaka, Wulfsohn got a job with a young Jewish man from Palestine named David Shapiro. In 1933, Shapiro won the contract to supply all the bricks and tiles for the new town project. Shapiro set up trading stores all around Lusaka and profited more than any other local trader from the development of the new capital. But before long, Harry lost his job, and this may have prompted him to set up in business on his own.
In the 1940s, he went into partnership with the Susman brothers
Susman Brothers
Susman Brothers was a business partnership that united brothers Elie Susman and Harry Susman after they crossed the Zambezi river in 1901. The brothers were Jewish businessmen from Riteve, western Russia, now Lithuania. They founded, owned, and operated several large businesses in Africa. Elie...
, forming Susman Brothers & Wulfsohn. Harry was a full generation younger than his partners, but shared their Jewish roots in the Russian Empire. The firm of Susman Brothers & Wulfsohn has survived to present day.