Mortimer L. Schiff

Mortimer Loeb Schiff (June 5, 1877 – June 4, 1931), sometimes Mortimer Leo Schiff, was an American banker and notable early Boy Scouts of America (BSA) leader.[1] His son, John Mortimer Schiff, was also involved with the BSA. He was also the father of Dorothy Schiff, who was the owner and publisher of the New York Post from 1939 to 1976.

Mortimer Loeb Schiff
Schiff in 1900
5th President of the Boy Scouts of America
In office
May 1931 – June 4, 1931
Preceded byWalter W. Head
Succeeded byWalter W. Head
Vice President of the Boy Scouts of America
In office
1910–May, 1931
Senior Partner, Kuhn, Loeb & Co
In office
1920–June 4, 1931
Preceded byJacob Schiff
Member of the World Scout Committee of the World Organization of the Scout Movement
In office
1901–1910
Member of the Nassau County Council Executive Board
In office
1903–1910
Personal details
Born(1877-06-05)June 5, 1877
DiedJune 4, 1931(1931-06-04) (aged 53)
SpouseAdele Neustadt
ChildrenDorothy Schiff
John M. Schiff
Parent(s)Jacob Schiff
Therese Loeb
OccupationPolitician, banker

Life and career
Schiff memorialized on the cover of Scouting Magazine, July 1931

Mortimer Loeb Schiff was born on June 5, 1877, the only son of the German Jewish American banker and philanthropist Jacob Schiff and his wife, Therese (née Loeb).[2] He entered Amherst College in the class of 1896, though he did not graduate; he was likely the first Jewish student ever to attend there.[3] While he worked as a partner in the financial firm of Kuhn, Loeb & Co. from 1900 until his death in 1931, he also devoted much of his time to the development of scouting in America. He was a member of the World Scout Committee of the World Organization of the Scout Movement and the Nassau County (now Theodore Roosevelt) Council Executive Board. After a long tenure as vice-president of the BSA beginning in 1910,[4] during which he also appeared on the cover of Time magazine on February 14, 1927,[5] he was elected president of the organization in 1931. However, his untimely death came only one month later on June 4, 1931.[6] He had also been serving as the BSA's International Commissioner for several years.

Legacy

The property for the Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation was purchased by his mother, named in his honor, and donated to the BSA for their national training center in April 1933.[7]

Schiff's son, John M. Schiff, in 1961 was the 27th person worldwide to be awarded the Bronze Wolf, the only distinction of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, granted by the World Scout Committee for exceptional services to world Scouting. The Bronze Wolf award was first initiated in 1935 and given to Lord Baden-Powell, four years after the death of Mortimer Schiff.[8]

Personal life

Schiff was married to Adele Neustadt. They had two children: his daughter, Dorothy Schiff (March 11, 1903 – August 30, 1989) was an owner and then publisher of the New York Post for nearly 40 years. Both Mortimer and his son, John M. Schiff, received Silver Buffalo Awards from the BSA.

See also

References
  1. "Schiff Gave Freely to Social Service" (PDF). The New York Times. June 5, 1931.
  2. He listed himself as "Mortimer Leo Schiff" in the 1917 World War I draft registration. For a 1923 passport application he listed himself as "Mortimer Loeb Schiff".
  3. "Amherst College Biographical Record". Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  4. Chicago Jewish Historical Society (Winter 2000). "The Boy Scouts of America: Historic Chicago Jewish Troops" (PDF). Chicago Jewish History. 24 (1): 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 8, 2006.
  5. "TIME cover archives". TIME magazine. Archived from the original on February 10, 2005. Retrieved February 6, 2006.
  6. "Brief History of the BSA, 1927–1940". BSA History. Archived from the original on July 16, 2006. Retrieved February 6, 2006.
  7. "SCHIFF SCOUT PARK TO BE DEDICATED; 500-Acre Jersey Reservation, Gift to Youth of Nation, to Be Opened Wednesday". The New York Times. October 15, 1933. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  8. "List of recipients of the Bronze Wolf Award".
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