Nickname(s) "Simon" | Name Simeon Levy Years of service 1793–1805 | |
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Rank Second Lieutenant (USA) Battles/wars Battle of Maumee Rapids Died 1807, Georgia, United States | ||
Service/branch United States Army Battles and wars Battle of Fallen Timbers Allegiance United States of America | ||
Simeon Magruder Levy (January 1774 – March 1807), also known as Simon Levy, was an officer in the United States Army. He was the second overall graduate and first Jewish graduate of the United States Military Academy (West Point).
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Early life
Levy was born in January 1774 in Pennsylvania. His parents were Levy Andrew Levy, a fur trader and land speculator, and his wife Susanna. The boy's birth date is not documented, but his bris (ritual circumcision), which is usually done on the eighth day, was performed on January 25, 1774 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His family moved to Baltimore, Maryland circa 1799.
Levy joined the United States Army as a sergeant in 1793, and distinguished himself at the Battle of Maumee Rapids (also known as the Battle of Fallen Timbers) on August 20, 1794 as an Orderly sergeant. His commanding officer, Captain Benjamin Lockwood, recommended Levy as a cadet for the newly founded United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York.
Later life
Levy entered West Point on March 2, 1801, accepted due to merit and skill in mathematics, and graduated second in a class of two cadets on October 12, 1802. His classmate was Joseph Gardner Swift. Levy may have first served as an instructor at West Point, then served as an engineer at Fort James Jackson and Fort Wilkinson, Georgia.
He became ill and resigned his commission on September 30, 1805. He died in March 1807 in Georgia. His place of burial is uncertain.
He was the second individual and the first Jew to graduate from West Point. The West Point Jewish Chapel was built at the academy beginning in 1982; it opened on November 13, 1984. As of 2009, over 900 Jews have graduated from the USMA.