Moritz Joseph
Every business house of age and importance has an interesting history largely because of the personalities behind it, and particularly so when it has occupied so notable a place in the commercial world for so long a time as has the mercantile house of The Joseph & Fiess Company. This enterprise, founded on the rocks of integrity, has been reared by the careful industry of able and astute business men, whose personal success has been secured through the honorable methods which have ever secured them public confidence and esteem.
The late Moritz Joseph was long one of Cleveland’s honored and venerated citizens. He was born at Gauersheim, Rheinpfalz, Germany, September 9, 1834. Until the age of sixteen years he attended school and then went to Mainz, where he was a clerk in a cloth business for two years and then left his native land for the wider opportunities offered in the United States. Even then he was quick, capable and efficient beyond his years and soon secured a position in a large mercantile house in the City of New York as a bookkeeper and confidential man. In 1857, when occurred a great exodus to California, the firm moved a large stock to San Francisco and Mr. Joseph continued there in the same relation as previously. When the stock had been sold seven months later he returned to New York and was admitted to a partnership in the firm by which he had been employed.
Prior to 1863, when Mr. Joseph became a partner in the firm of the Levi-Joseph Company, a subsidiary company of Koch, Levi & Mayer of Cleveland, he went to New Orleans with several cargoes of merchandise, and later went to Mexico with merchandise. In 1867 the above firm abandoned their New York business and went into other lines and Mr. Joseph took the opportunity of returning to Europe and paying his parents a short visit. Upon his return to the United States he became a partner in the firm of Simon, Loeb & Joseph, of New Orleans. The company handled a wholesale dry goods business.
Mr. Joseph continued that connection until 1872, when he sold his interests and then came to Cleveland and in January, 1873, became a partner in the firm of Koch, Goldsmith, Joseph & Company, a wholesale clothing house. In 1888 Mr. Koch retired from the firm and the name became Goldsmith, Joseph, Feiss & Company and continued thus until 1907, when Mr. Goldsmith retired and the business became The Joseph & Feiss Company, as at present. Moritz Joseph continued to be the senior partner even after the weight of years ell heavily upon him, and he was very active until the last. He retired January 1, 1917, an act he survived but a short time, his death occurring June 7, 1917. It had been the wish of his sons for some years that he should seek the ease that his age demanded, but his was not the nature to crave the creature comforts of old age nor to acknowledge that his days of usefulness were over. He had always been as strict with himself as with his subordinates and worked hard, and up to the time of his actual retirement was usually the first one present when the business opened in the morning and the last one when it closed at night. It is remembered of him that he was sympathetic when the needs of the unfortunate were brought to his attention and that he was abundantly charitable. He was proud of the good name of his business house and rejoiced that he had capable sons in whose hands to leave it.
Moritz Joseph was married in New York City, November 6, 1853, to Miss Jette Selig, and four children were born to them, namely: Isaac, who, with his brother Siegmund are partners in The Joseph-Feiss & Company; Emil, who is a well known attorney at Cleveland; and Fred, who is connected with the firm of The H. Black Company. Mr. Joseph was a member of the Fifty-fifth Street Jewish Temple, and he belonged to the Excelsior Club.
From Cleveland - Special Limited Edition, The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago & New York, 1918 v.1