Moses Seixas

Moses Seixas was a first-generation American of Portuguese Jewish stock, his parents having emigrated from Lisbon. The family settled in Newport, Rhode Island, where Seixas was later to distinguish himself in civic, religious, and mercantile affairs. A Freemason, Seixas was grand master of his Masonic lodge. He was also warden of the Touro Synagogue. A banker by profession, Seixas was the cofounder and first cashier of the Bank of Rhode Island. His congratulatory letter of 1790 to George Washington expresses his deep concern for the future of religious liberty in the new American republic.