Yulee, David Levy, 1810-1886

David Levy Yulee (born David Levy; June 12, 1810 – October 10, 1886) was an American politician and attorney. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Florida's territorial delegate to Congress from 1841 to 1845 and as one of its first U.S. Senators from 1845 to 1851 and again from 1855 to 1861. Yulee was the first person of Jewish ancestry to be elected and serve as a U.S. Senator. He founded the Florida Railroad Company and served as president of several other companies, earning the nickname of "Father of Florida Railroads." In 2000 he was recognized as a "Great Floridian" by the state.

Born a British subject in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas in the Danish West Indies (now the U.S. Virgin Islands), his family moved to the United States in the early 1820s, settling near present-day Jacksonville, Florida. His parents sent their son to a boy's academy and college in Norfolk, Virginia. Levy studied law with Robert R. Reid in St. Augustine, was admitted to the bar in 1832, and started a practice in St. Augustine. During his twenties, Levy served in the territorial militia, including during the Second Seminole War. In 1834 he was present at a conference with Seminole chiefs, including Osceola. In 1836 he was elected to the Florida Territory's Legislative Council, serving from 1837 to 1839. He was a delegate to the territory's constitutional convention in 1838 and served as the legislature's clerk in 1841.

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