Otto Jaffe
Encyclopedia
Sir
Otto Jaffe, JP
(b. 13 August 1846, Hamburg
– d. 29 April 1929, London) was a German-born British Jewish businessman and twice elected Lord Mayor of Belfast
.
. Daniel Jaffe along with his older sons, Martin, John and Alfred, set up a business exporting Irish linen
. See separate article on Daniel Joseph Jaffé
for Martin's younger son.
Otto was educated at Mr Tate’s school in Holywood
, County Down
and later in Hamburg
and Switzerland
.
in 1879. They had two sons Arthur and William; one became a barrister
and the other a London company director.
He was a member of the Belfast Harbour Commission
. In 1894, he successfully agitated for the reporting and destruction of derelicts
in the North Atlantic Ocean
.
He was a Justice of the Peace
, a governor of the Royal Hospital
, a member of the Irish Technical Education Board and a member of the Senate of Queen's College, which later became Queen's University of Belfast
. He was the German consul
in Belfast. He was an active member of the committee which got the Public Libraries Act extended to Belfast
, leading to the first free library being established there.
In 1910 he erected the Jaffe Spinning Mill on the Newtonards Road, also known as Strand Spinning. This provided work for 350 people, rising to 650 in 1914 when the company expanded to make munitions.
He was lavishly charitable and contributed to Queen's College.
. He represented St Anne's Ward for the Belfast Corporation in 1894 and was elected Lord Mayor of Belfast
in 1899. As mayor, he launched an appeal for the dependants of soldiers fighting in the Boer War
. £10,000 was raised. In March 1900, he was knight
ed by Lord Cadogan. In 1901 he was High Sheriff of Belfast
, and in 1904 he was again elected Lord Mayor.
The outbreak of war saw anti-German sentiment and when the Lusitania
passenger liner was torpedoed by a German submarine of the coast of Cork
on 7 May 1915 which resulted in the death of 1,000 people, anti-German feeling in Britain and Ireland rose to breaking point. Even though he was loyal to the Crown, and his eldest son Arthur and his nephew were serving in the British Army
, Sir Otto was accused of being a German spy
.
In a letter to the Northern Whig in May 1915, Sir Otto states:
After twenty-five years of service, he resigned his post on as Alderman of Windsor Ward for Belfast City Council
in June 1916 when he was almost 70 years of age and took up residence in London, where he died in 1929. Lady Jaffe was too ill to attend his funeral, and she died a few months later in August of the same year.
. Martin Jaffe (Otto's older brother) secured a plot in the City Cemetery
, which became the Jewish Cemetery. Daniel was the first Jew to be interred there. The Jaffe monument was erected.
This monument and the headstones have been vandalised. Recently, Belfast City Council resolved to erect a sculpture representing Otto Jaffe at Carlisle Circus.
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Otto Jaffe, JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
(b. 13 August 1846, Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
– d. 29 April 1929, London) was a German-born British Jewish businessman and twice elected Lord Mayor of Belfast
Lord Mayor of Belfast
The Lord Mayor of Belfast is the leader and chairman of Belfast City Council, elected annually from and by the City's 51 councillors.The Lord Mayor is Niall Ó Donnghaile of Sinn Féin, while the Deputy Lord Mayor is Ruth Patterson of the Democratic Unionist Party, who were elected in May 2011.The...
.
Family
In 1852, his parents, Daniel Joseph and Frederiké brought their family of four boys and five girls from Hamburg to BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. Daniel Jaffe along with his older sons, Martin, John and Alfred, set up a business exporting Irish linen
Irish linen
Irish linen is the brand name given to linen produced in Ireland. Linen is cloth woven from, or yarn spun from the flax fibre, which was grown in Ireland for many years before advanced agricultural methods and more suitable climate led to the concentration of quality flax cultivation in northern...
. See separate article on Daniel Joseph Jaffé
Daniel Joseph Jaffé
Daniel Joseph Jaffé was born on 2 November 1876 in London and died 11 June 1921 in Croydon, England. He was the younger son of Martin Jaffé - see article on Sir Otto Jaffé for more details.-Education:...
for Martin's younger son.
Otto was educated at Mr Tate’s school in Holywood
Holywood
Holywood is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the shore of Belfast Lough, between Belfast and Bangor. Holywood Exchange and Belfast City Airport are nearby. The town hosts an annual jazz and blues festival.-Name:...
, County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
and later in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Marriage
He married Paula Hertz from Brunswick, New YorkBrunswick, New York
Brunswick is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States that was originally settled in the early 18th century. During its history, it had been part of Albany County, Rensselaerswyck, and Troy, before its incorporation in 1807...
in 1879. They had two sons Arthur and William; one became a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and the other a London company director.
Commerce
From 1867 to 1877 he lived and worked in New York. In 1877, his brothers retired, so he returned to Belfast to head the family business, “The Jaffe Brothers” at Bedford Street. He built it up to become the largest linen exporter in Ireland.He was a member of the Belfast Harbour Commission
Port of Belfast
Belfast Harbour is a major maritime gateway in Northern Ireland, serving the Northern Ireland economy and increasingly that of the Republic of Ireland...
. In 1894, he successfully agitated for the reporting and destruction of derelicts
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
in the North Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
.
He was a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, a governor of the Royal Hospital
Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast
The Royal Victoria Hospital is a hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland....
, a member of the Irish Technical Education Board and a member of the Senate of Queen's College, which later became Queen's University of Belfast
Queen's University of Belfast
Queen's University Belfast is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The university's official title, per its charter, is the Queen's University of Belfast. It is often referred to simply as Queen's, or by the abbreviation QUB...
. He was the German consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
in Belfast. He was an active member of the committee which got the Public Libraries Act extended to Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, leading to the first free library being established there.
In 1910 he erected the Jaffe Spinning Mill on the Newtonards Road, also known as Strand Spinning. This provided work for 350 people, rising to 650 in 1914 when the company expanded to make munitions.
He was lavishly charitable and contributed to Queen's College.
Religion
Otto Jaffe took a keen interest in the Jewish community of Belfast. He was life-president of the Belfast Hebrew Congregation, which worshipped at the Great Victoria Street synagogue. His father established it on 7 July 1871. Between 1871 and 1903 this congregation increased from fifty-five to over a thousand. He paid most of the £4,000 cost of building the synagogue in Annesley Street. He opened it, in 1904, wearing his mayoral regalia. Three years later with his wife, Paula, they set up the 'Jaffe School for the Jewish Children of Belfast' on the Cliftonville Road.Politics
In 1888 Otto Jaffe had been naturalised as a British citizen and denaturalised as a German citizen. He was a member of the Irish Unionist PartyIrish Unionist Party
The Irish Unionist Alliance was a Unionist party founded in Ireland in 1891 to oppose plans for Gladstonian and Parnellite Home Rule for Ireland. The party was led for much of its life by Colonel Edward James Saunderson and later by the William St John Brodrick, Earl of Midleton...
. He represented St Anne's Ward for the Belfast Corporation in 1894 and was elected Lord Mayor of Belfast
Lord Mayor of Belfast
The Lord Mayor of Belfast is the leader and chairman of Belfast City Council, elected annually from and by the City's 51 councillors.The Lord Mayor is Niall Ó Donnghaile of Sinn Féin, while the Deputy Lord Mayor is Ruth Patterson of the Democratic Unionist Party, who were elected in May 2011.The...
in 1899. As mayor, he launched an appeal for the dependants of soldiers fighting in the Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. £10,000 was raised. In March 1900, he was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed by Lord Cadogan. In 1901 he was High Sheriff of Belfast
High Sheriff of Belfast
The High Sheriff of Belfast is a High Sheriff title and position which was created in 1900 under the Local Government Act 1898, with Sir James Henderson the first holder. It is a largely ceremonial position currently held by Ian Adamson, who took office in January 2011...
, and in 1904 he was again elected Lord Mayor.
The outbreak of war saw anti-German sentiment and when the Lusitania
Lusitania
Lusitania or Hispania Lusitania was an ancient Roman province including approximately all of modern Portugal south of the Douro river and part of modern Spain . It was named after the Lusitani or Lusitanian people...
passenger liner was torpedoed by a German submarine of the coast of Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
on 7 May 1915 which resulted in the death of 1,000 people, anti-German feeling in Britain and Ireland rose to breaking point. Even though he was loyal to the Crown, and his eldest son Arthur and his nephew were serving in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, Sir Otto was accused of being a German spy
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
.
In a letter to the Northern Whig in May 1915, Sir Otto states:
"how anyone who has any knowledge of me and my life would think that I could approve of the horrible and detestable actions of which she (Germany) has been guilty is almost beyond my comprehension.He also described himself as being "overwhelmed with pain and sorrow".
After twenty-five years of service, he resigned his post on as Alderman of Windsor Ward for Belfast City Council
Belfast City Council
Belfast City Council is the local authority with responsibility for the city of Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. The Council serves an estimated population of , the largest of any district council in Northern Ireland, while also being the fourth smallest by area...
in June 1916 when he was almost 70 years of age and took up residence in London, where he died in 1929. Lady Jaffe was too ill to attend his funeral, and she died a few months later in August of the same year.
Memorial
On 21 January 1874, his father, Daniel Joseph Jaffe died in NiceNice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
. Martin Jaffe (Otto's older brother) secured a plot in the City Cemetery
Belfast City Cemetery
Belfast City Cemetery is a cemetery in west Belfast, Northern Ireland. It lies within the townland of Ballymurphy, between Falls Road and Springfield Road, near Milltown Cemetery...
, which became the Jewish Cemetery. Daniel was the first Jew to be interred there. The Jaffe monument was erected.
This monument and the headstones have been vandalised. Recently, Belfast City Council resolved to erect a sculpture representing Otto Jaffe at Carlisle Circus.