Francis Salvador (1747-1776) and the Revolutionary War

A Jewish Patriot

In 1774, Francis Salvador became the first Jew elected to office in the Americas, serving in the Provincial Congress of South Carolina. He immigrated to America in 1773 after an earthquake ruined much of the East India Company's holdings, in which Salvador's family had a large stake. Salvador immediately became involved in colonial patriotism, supporting independence from Britain. He was the only Jew known to be a part of the American colonial legislature and join the continental congress. On July 1, 1776, a group of Cherokee Indians ambushed colonial settlements and Salvador rode thirty miles to alert the militia and save the inhabitants. One month later, on August 1, 1776, Salvador became the first Jew to die during the Revolutionary War. He died while leading a group of 330 men to protect the settlements from another surprise attack by Cherokee Indians.