Herman Rosenthal

He produced a humorous story, "Die Wunderliche Kur," in 1872, and later assisted in the founding of Zarya (Dawn), a daily paper, the first number of which appeared at Kiev in 1878.

Interested in the condition of his oppressed coreligionists, Rosenthal sailed for the United States in 1881 for the purpose of founding there agricultural colonies to be settled by Russian Jewish immigrants.

[1] During 1887 and 1888 Rosenthal engaged in the book-trade, but gave up this occupation on being appointed chief statistician of the Edison General Electric Company, a post he held for three years.

In 1892 he went to the Far East, whither he was sent by the Great Northern Railway to investigate the economic conditions and trade of China, Korea, and Japan, on which he published a report (St. Paul, 1893).

On his return he was elected secretary of the German-American Reform Union, New York City, and a member of the press bureau of the Committee of Seventy, which was instrumental in the overthrown of the notorious Tweed Ring.

[2] In 1898 he accepted the post of chief of the Slavonic Department, New York Public Library (Astor branch), a position he held until 1917.

His eldest son, Max Rosenthal, born at Krementchug, government of Poltava, Russia, June 6, 1865, was educated for the medical profession at the universities of Bern, Berlin, and Leipzig (M.D.