Haym Salomon

Autograph endorsement on verso of Robert Morris check note], on a printed check (4 x 9 1/4 in; 102 x 235 mm) six hundred and fifty-six livres to be paid to Salomon, written to Mr. Grand at the Bank of Paris, Paris, 22 October 1782, accomplished in a clerical hand and signed by Robert Morris ("Robt Morris, Sy. of Finance"). 

Adler, Cyrus et al. Jewish Encyclopedia. jewishencyclopedia.com.

Jewish American Hall of Fame. www.ajhs.org/reference/hall_fame.cfm

A REMARKABLE DOCUMENT SIGNED BY TWO OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FINANCIERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Morris orders Mr. Grand, at the Bank of Paris, to make a payment to Haym Salomon on the account of the United States. This promissory note is part of the complicated series of French loans that allowed an impoverished United States to purchase supplies and prosecute the War. The note is similar to a modern check that could be exchanged for cash upon demand.

Haym Salomon (1740–1785) was born in Lissa, Poland, and emigrated to New York City in 1772. He acted as a secret agent against the British in occupied New York, was arrested twice and condemned to death, before bribing his way out of prison and fleeing to Philadelphia. He reestablished his brokerage firm and became one of the most effective brokers of bills of exchange to meet federal government expenses. Salomon acted virtually as treasurer for Rochambeau and our other French allies, and advanced money to army officers and Congressional delegations. He also personally advanced funds to members of the Continental Congress (including James Madison) and other federal officers, charging interest and commissions well below the market rates. Salomon also played a prominent role in the Philadelphia and national Jewish community affairs. In 1783, Salomon and other prominent Jewish Philadelphians addressed the Pennsylvania Council of Censors to request the removal of a religious test oath required for office-holding under the state Constitution.

Salomon died in 1785, leaving more than $350,000 in virtually worthless certificates of indebtedness and continental currency. The Pennsylvania Packet referred to him as a man remarkable “for his skill and integrity in his profession and for his generous and humane deportment.”

Robert Morris (1734–1806) was one of the most powerful merchants of his day. During the Revolutionary War, Morris relied on his credit, reputation, and personal fortune to keep America from total bankruptcy. Morris was later a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and a U.S. Senator.