The Early Political Career of Isador Sobel, 1892-1906

Abstract

Occasionally members of minority groups are able to exert political influence in municipal affairs out of proportion to the size of the group that they represent. Such was the case of Isador Sobel of Erie, Pennsylvania, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Sobel, an attorney, politician, and civic leader, was of Jewish descent in a community where Jews were a decided minority. Yet Sobel not only served on Common Council and was briefly City Solicitor of Erie, he also headed the Republican party in Erie County and for four terms was appointed as Postmaster of Erie. This article reviews and analyzes Sobel’s public career from 1892 through 1906.