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Warder Cresson (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 13, 1798 - Jerusalem November 6, 1860) was the first U.S. Consul to Jerusalem. He was appointed in 1844.〔(U.S. consulate-general, Jerusalem )〕 ==Life and work== Warder Cresson (later Michoel Boaz Yisroel ben Avraham) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a Quaker family.〔(Warder Cresson )〕 He was descended from Pierre Cresson, one of the settlers of Harlem, NY, whose grandson, Solomon, migrated to Philadelphia in the early 18th century. Warder Cresson's father, John Elliott Cresson (1773–1814), married Mary Warder in 1795. In 1830 he published a pamphlet entitled ''Babylon the Great Is Falling! The Morning Star, or Light from on High'', in which he deplored the extravagance and evil tendencies of the times, and exhorted all Quakers to lead a better and less wayward life. He went through a period of strong religious upheaval, joining a series of sects that appeared to him to represent true religion. In 1840, he met Isaac Leeser and he became deeply interested in Judaism. Cresson was also influenced by the writings of Mordecai Manuel Noah, who believed that the Jews would soon return to live in Palestine, their national homeland.〔(Warder Cresson: From Shaker to Quaker to Orthodox Jew )〕 On May 17, 1844, he was commissioned consul at Jerusalem, the first person to hold this office. However, the commission was recalled before he arrived in Jerusalem, unbeknownst to him. He speaks of his departure for Jerusalem as follows:
Previous to his departure he had been engaged in agriculture at Gwynedd, a suburb of Philadelphia. He was much affected by the surroundings of Jerusalem, became more inclined toward Judaism, and assumed the name Michoel C. Boaz Israel. In 1844–1848, he was a frequent contributor to Isaac Leeser's magazine, ''The Occident'', in which he criticized the missionary tactics of the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews. While in Jerusalem he became close to the Sephardic community. He was a friend of ''Chacham'' Yehiel Cohen and the next chief rabbi, Elyashar. In 1848, he sought to become a Jew. In March of that year, he was circumcised and converted to Judaism. He returned to Philadelphia in September 1848 to arrange his affairs and move permanently to Jerusalem. The family tried to keep him from carrying out his plans and claimed he had lost his sanity. He became estranged from all except one son. In May 1849, his wife, Elizabeth Townsend, and his son Jacob applied to the court and had him declared insane.〔(Warder Cresson )〕 He appealed this decision, and the trial, which went on for six days in May 1851, became one of the famous cases of the time. Eminent counsel were retained on both sides and nearly one hundred witnesses were called. The decision of the lower court was reversed, and Cresson was discharged. The argument of Horatio Hubbell Jr., one of his lawyers, was published in "The Occident" in 1863, with comments by Isaac Leeser. During his stay in Philadelphia, he was a regular attendant at the Mikve Israel synagogue, taking part in Jewish communal life, and rigorously observing Jewish religious law. He wrote for "The Occident," and in 1851, published ''The Key of David: David the True Messiah, or the Anointed of the God of Jacob''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Warder Cresson」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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