Samuel Simeon Fels

Samuel Simeon Fels (February 16, 1860 in Yanceyville, North Carolina June 23, 1950 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was an American businessman and philanthropist.

Samuel Simeon Fels
Fels Institute of Government
BornFebruary 16, 1860
DiedJune 23, 1950 (age 90)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationSoap manufacturer
Spouse(s)Jennie May
FamilyJoseph Fels (brother)

Biography

Born to a Jewish family in Yanceyville, North Carolina, Fels family relocated to Philadelphia, where Samuel's older brother Joseph Fels founded a soap manufacturing company, Fels & Co., which found success with the product Fels-Naptha. Samuel became the company's first president, a post he held until his death at age 90.

An active philanthropist, in 1936, Fels established the Samuel S. Fels Fund, which provides support to Philadelphia-area non-profit organizations, even today. Fels also founded the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government. Fels is known for commissioning Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto Op. 14 in 1939.

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