Santiago Eder
Encyclopedia
James Martin Eder known in Colombia
as Santiago Martín Eder Kaiser, don
Santiago Eder or simply "El Fundador", is considered the pioneer of the sugar
industry in Colombia
, and is widely recognized as one of Colombia's leading 19th century industrial pioneers.
. He was the son of Martin Sass Eder and Dorina Kaiser, and was the youngest of their seven children. In 1851 Santiago Eder immigrated from Courland to New York City
where his older brother and most of his siblings already lived. He completed his education and after some work experience entered Harvard Law School
in 1858. In 1861 he moved to San Francisco, and from there moved to the Colombian sea port of Buenaventura
where he worked as a lawyer and a commercial representative for Panama
nian trading firms when Panama was still part of Colombia. In 1864 he bought the Manuelita
sugar and coffee farm near the city of Palmira in the Cauca
Valley of Colombia. He bought this farm at a public auction from the father of leading Colombian novelist Jorge Isaacs
. In 1866 Eder became the consul
of the United States
in Buenaventura, as well as the vice-consul of Chile
. In 1867 he traveled to London
where he met and married Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Benjamin in the New Synagogue. In their marriage certificate, the name of don Santiago's father is given as 'Moses Eder'. From this marriage were born his children Henry, Charles, Luisa, Phanor, Fanny and Edith Eder.
became the first Colombian sugar mill to move from mule
to steam powered
mills. As such, don Santiago became one of Colombia's first industrialists. In 1903 he left his children Charles James and Henry James Eder in charge of his business interests and moved with his wife to New York
. He remained there until his death at 83 in 1921. Eder is buried at the Shearith Israel Cemetery in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn
. Considering he married in a synagogue without conversion, that his father was called Moses
, that all his siblings married Jews and his nephew was one of England's Leading Zionist Montague David Eder
, and that he is buried in a Jewish cemetetry, his birth religion is believed to be Jewish, specifically of Latvian Jew descent.
After his death, the Manuelita sugar company saw further expansions in 1927 and 1939. In 1952 under management of Harold Henry Eder, Santiago's grandson, Manuelita became the first sugarcane
mill in Colombia to make refined sugar. Under Santiago Eder's great grandson Henry James Eder Manuelita started an international expansion, and today is one of Colombia's leading agro/industrial companies with operations in Colombia, Peru
, Brazil
and Chile
. The current president of Manuelita is Harold Enrique Eder Garcés, don Santiago's great-great-grandson and of the fifth generation of the Eder Family in Colombia.
Much of Santiago Eder's correspondence, mostly business related, but also dealing with the Colombian government and personal family matters, are preserved at the Phanor James Eder Collection at the University of Miami
.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
as Santiago Martín Eder Kaiser, don
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
Santiago Eder or simply "El Fundador", is considered the pioneer of the sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
industry in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, and is widely recognized as one of Colombia's leading 19th century industrial pioneers.
Early life
Eder was born in Mitau in the Duchy of Courland in the Russian EmpireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. He was the son of Martin Sass Eder and Dorina Kaiser, and was the youngest of their seven children. In 1851 Santiago Eder immigrated from Courland to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where his older brother and most of his siblings already lived. He completed his education and after some work experience entered Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1858. In 1861 he moved to San Francisco, and from there moved to the Colombian sea port of Buenaventura
Buenaventura
-Myths and legends:*Buenaventura River , a legendary but non-existent river that was once believed to run from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean in what is now the western United States-People:...
where he worked as a lawyer and a commercial representative for Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
nian trading firms when Panama was still part of Colombia. In 1864 he bought the Manuelita
Manuelita
Inversiones Manuelita S.A. is a Colombian agribusiness corporation, headquartered in Palmira, Valle del Cauca, whose main products are refined sugar, ethanol, palm oil, mussels and shrimp...
sugar and coffee farm near the city of Palmira in the Cauca
Cauca River
The Cauca River is a river in Colombia that lies between the Occidental and Central cordilleras. Born in southwestern Colombia near the city of Popayán, it joins the Magdalena River near Pinillos in Bolívar Department, and the combined river eventually flows out into the Caribbean Sea. It has a...
Valley of Colombia. He bought this farm at a public auction from the father of leading Colombian novelist Jorge Isaacs
Jorge Isaacs
Jorge Isaacs Ferrer was a Colombian writer, politician and soldier. His only novel, María, became one of the most notable works of the Romantic movement in Spanish literature....
. In 1866 Eder became the 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...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in Buenaventura, as well as the vice-consul of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. In 1867 he traveled to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where he met and married Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Benjamin in the New Synagogue. In their marriage certificate, the name of don Santiago's father is given as 'Moses Eder'. From this marriage were born his children Henry, Charles, Luisa, Phanor, Fanny and Edith Eder.
Industrial pioneer in Colombia
In 1901 ManuelitaManuelita
Inversiones Manuelita S.A. is a Colombian agribusiness corporation, headquartered in Palmira, Valle del Cauca, whose main products are refined sugar, ethanol, palm oil, mussels and shrimp...
became the first Colombian sugar mill to move from mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
to steam powered
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
mills. As such, don Santiago became one of Colombia's first industrialists. In 1903 he left his children Charles James and Henry James Eder in charge of his business interests and moved with his wife to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He remained there until his death at 83 in 1921. Eder is buried at the Shearith Israel Cemetery in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn
Cypress Hills, Brooklyn
Cypress Hills is a sub-section of the East New York neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City, lying north of City Line and south of Cypress Hills Cemetery, in the far northeastern corner of Brooklyn. It is abutted on the west by Bushwick and on the east, across the Brooklyn–Queens border, by...
. Considering he married in a synagogue without conversion, that his father was called Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
, that all his siblings married Jews and his nephew was one of England's Leading Zionist Montague David Eder
Montague David Eder
Montague David Eder was a British psychoanalyst, physician, Zionist and writer. He was best known for advancing psychoanalytic studies in Great Britain.- Education and medical training :...
, and that he is buried in a Jewish cemetetry, his birth religion is believed to be Jewish, specifically of Latvian Jew descent.
After his death, the Manuelita sugar company saw further expansions in 1927 and 1939. In 1952 under management of Harold Henry Eder, Santiago's grandson, Manuelita became the first sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
mill in Colombia to make refined sugar. Under Santiago Eder's great grandson Henry James Eder Manuelita started an international expansion, and today is one of Colombia's leading agro/industrial companies with operations in Colombia, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. The current president of Manuelita is Harold Enrique Eder Garcés, don Santiago's great-great-grandson and of the fifth generation of the Eder Family in Colombia.
Much of Santiago Eder's correspondence, mostly business related, but also dealing with the Colombian government and personal family matters, are preserved at the Phanor James Eder Collection at the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
.