Samson Levy was a prominent Jewish merchant in Philadelphia during the Colonial Period. He was one of the originators, in 1748, of the City Dancing Assembly, a famous social organization of Philadelphia. In Nov., 1765, he signed, with other merchants of the city, including six Jews, the celebrated resolutions not to import goods from England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 until the Stamp Act

Stamp Act

A stamp act is any legislation that requires a tax to be paid on the transfer of certain documents. Those that pay the tax receive an official stamp on their documents, making them legal documents. The taxes raised under a stamp act are called stamp duty. This system of taxation was first devised...

 had been repealed. He had two sons, Moses

Moses Levy

Moses Levy was a prominent Jew, from a prominent Jewish family, in Colonial America. His father, Samson Levy, was a signatory of the celebrated resolutions not to import goods from England until the Stamp Act had been repealed. Moses was educated at the University of Pennsylvania, from which he...

 and Samson.

Moses Levy (b. Philadelphia 1757; d. there May 9, 1826) was educated at the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

, from which he graduated in 1776. On March 19, 1778, he was admitted to the bar

Bar (law)

Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...

; from 1802 to 1822 he was recorder of Philadelphia; from 1822 to 1825, presiding judge of the district court for the city and county of Philadelphia. At one time he was a member of the Pennsylvania legislature, and he was a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania for twenty-four years.

Samson Levy (b. Philadelphia 1761; d. there December 15, 1831) studied law with his brother Moses; was admitted to the bar on June 9, 1787, and became one of the best-known lawyers of the city. He was one of the incorporators of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...

.