Mordecai M. Noah (1785-1851), Consul to the Kingdom of Tunis, 1813-14

James Monroe's Antisemitism towards Mordecai Noah

In 1811, Mordecai Manuel Noah was appointed as United States Consul to the Kingdom of Tunis. He had a very successful term before his wrongful release in 1814. During his tenure, he was taken as a prisoner-of-war by the British for three months, developed good relations with Germany, and rescued American captives in Africa. Despite all of this, James Monroe, then Secretary of State, abruptly released Noah with the following statement: "At the time of your appointment as Consul to Tunis, it was not known that the religion which you profess would form an obstacle to the exercise of your consular functions." This upset many people because they perceived Noah was an American hero. Noah did not leave office without a fight, however. The abrupt and unexpected loss of his job cost him personally, but he successfully appealed to Congress to be reimbursed for his losses. He then pursued a career as a writer and journalist, and became and active Zionist.