Lubin, David, 1849-1919

Founder and delegate of the International Institute of Agriculture in Rome.

From the description of David Lubin letter, 1918. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 575326834

Founder, International Institute of Agriculture, Rome.

From the description of David Lubin papers, 1899-1944. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 754868218

Biographical Note

• 10 June 1849: Born in Klodawa, Poland
• 1853: Family moved to England
• 1855: Family emigrated to America
• 1861: Dropped out of school
• To 1873: Worked as a jeweler in San Francisco, a lumberyard worker in Los Angeles, a prospector for gold in Arizona, and a commercial traveler in New York and New Orleans
• 1874: Opened David Lubin's One Price Store in Sacramento
• 1884: Bought an orchard near Sacramento and land in Colusa County, helped found the California Fruit Growers' Union
• 1891: Became the director of the International Society for the Colonization of Russian Jews
• 1896: Moved to Europe to establish an international agricultural congress
• 1900: Author of Let There Be Light
• 1906: Appointed as a permanent U.S. delegate to the International Institute of Agriculture (IIA) in Rome
• 1913: Received a Silver Cup Award from the IIA
• 1917: Author, publisher, and distributor of An International Confederation of Democracies under a Constitution
• 1 January 1919: Died in Rome

Historical Note

David Lubin, a merchant and farmer in Sacramento, created the idea of the International Institute of Agriculture (IIA). The institute's goals were to help farmers share knowledge, establish a cooperative system of rural credit, and control the marketing of farmers' products. In 1906, Lubin was appointed the permanent U.S. delegate to the IIA. In 1913 at the meeting of the IIA congress in Rome, Lubin received a Silver Cup Award for his efforts in establishing the organization. The IIA ceased its operations in 1945, when most of its assets were transferred to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The mandate of international cooperation in the field of agriculture is continued by the FAO, which named its library in honor of David Lubin. The David Lubin Elementary School is located a few blocks from the site of David Lubin's former home in Sacramento, California.

From the guide to the David Lubin papers, 1899-1944, (Hoover Institution Archives)