Who was David Levy Yulee?

David Levy Yulee (born David Levy; June 12, 1810 – October 10, 1886) was an American politician and attorney of Moroccan-Jewish origins. A resident of Florida, he served as its territorial delegate to Congress, and was the first person of Jewish heritage to serve as a United States Senator.

In 1845, after Florida was admitted as a state, the legislature elected him as a Democrat to the United States Senate, the first Jewish person to win a seat in the Senate, and he served until 1851. During his Senate career he served as chairman of the Committee on Private Land Claims (1845-1849) and the Committee on Naval Affairs (1849-1851). In 1855 he was again elected to the Senate, and he served until resigning in 1861 in order to support the Confederacy at the start of the American Civil War.