The first Bradford Jewish Merchant to enter into local politics was Danzig born textile exporter Charles Joseph Semon. He was born in the German port in 1814 and arrived in Bradford in during middle age, right in the middle of the C19th Century. By 1864 he had become Lord Mayor and led a number of benevolent schemes during his time in civic and commercial life.

In 1851 along with Jacob Behrens and Leopold Fulda, he helped to found the Bradford Chamber of Commerce, becoming it’s vice president some 20 years later.

In 1874 he established a convelescent home, now demolished in Ilkley, which was named in his honour.

By the time of his death in 1877 he had let the people of Bradford benefit enormously from his own personal wealth. Even after death his generosity continued, as he left £35,000 in his will for Bradford’s educational institutions to benefit from, the equivalent of £3,347,730 in todays money.

He died whilst attending to a business affairs on holiday in Switzerland.

Below follows an account of the Funeral held for him in Bradford town centre, as reported in the day by the Bradford Daily Telegraph, Wednesday July 25 1877.

Thanks and Credits go the Local Studies Department of Bradford Central Library for the information which is available on Microfilm.

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The Bradford Daily Telegraph, Wednsday July 25 1877
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Public Notices.
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FUNERAL OF THE LATE CHARLES SEMON .
The interment of the remains of the late Charles Semon took place to-day in Scholemoor Cemetary, where ground for a burial place for Jews was some-time ago appropriated. The coffin containing the remains, which, after being brought from Switzerland, had been enclosed in a finely finished oak coffin by Messrs. C. Pratt and Sons, who had charge of the funeral arrangements, was last night transferred from the Town hall, where it was joined by the various public bodies, the members of the Council and others. The streets along the route were lined by the populace who gathered so thickly in Market Street that it was impossible to pass along. A detachment of police kept the way open for the passage of the procession, which arrived a few minutes after twelve, and after being joined by the representatives of the various public bodies, and houses who had assembled there, it proceeded on the way to Scholemoor. During the time the cortege was passing the bell was tolled, and afterwards the chimes played Mendelssohn’s “O Rest in the Lord”. A description of the proceedings will appear in our second edtion.

Funeral of the late Charles Semon.

Bradford has to-day deservedly accorded a public funeral to the remains of one of the worthiest of her citizens. There was not the long connection and the deep and wide-spread personal feeling that made the last publuc funeral one of those imposing spectacles only witnessed on rare occasions. Still, if on a smaller scale, the ceremony of to-day partook fully of the same character, and was an honourable tribute to the genuine work of the deceased, a testimony to the esteem the deceased had won for himself from all classes of the community by his unostentations, liberality, generous support of all our public benevolent institutions, his readiness to respond to all appeals for help from whatever quarter once they proved themselves as deserving, his upright and consistent conduct as a man of business, and his assiduous endeavours in a whole variety of ways to discharge to the utmost of his ability the duties falling upon him as one of the foremost citizens of Bradford. He did not labour without reward, and the numerous and influential gathering of those who had been his fellow burgessers who to-day assembled to follow his remains to thr grave showed how cordially his conduct had been appreciated.
The remains of the deceased, which were brought from Switzerland in a varnished deak (sic) shell of rather perculiar form, were at first taken to the Town Hall and there the shell was enclosed in an oak coffin supplied by Messrs Pratt and Son, to whom the charge of the funeral arrangements were entrusted . This was last night removed to the residence of Mr Lassen, Rosemount, Clifton Villas, where the relatives and immediate friends of the deceased assembled this morning, and the funeral procession was formed, consisting of twenty private carriages.
Meanwhile in the town Market Street, along by the Town Hall, and Horton Road had been gradually filled with a dense crowd, who filled the footway to completely that passers by found it necessary to seek other ways of getting to their destination. All along the route the shutters of the shops, warehouses & c (sic) were all closed, which, with the stoppings or divrersion of foot and vehicular traffic, gave an unwouted quietness to the locality. In the vicinity of the Town Hall
place was there a little stir, as the fast swelling crowd of mourners who intended to join in the procession came up and ranged themselves in one or other of the many companies into which the procession was divided. The turn-out was very large, comprising representatives of all the leading mercsntile establishments in the borough, of the various societies, charitiable and benevolent, with which the deceased had been connected, &c. Amongst those who assembled in the mayor’s parlour were the following:- William Foster, Henry Mason, Mr Thompson, Duggan, Binns, J. Wright, junior, Stockdale, Blackburn, Wilson, Sutcliffe, Mr. Brayshaw and Mr. Barker, of the Board of Guardians, &c.
The funeral processon was to start at 12 o’clock, and shortly before that time the procession was formed and took up its position along Market Street and Horton Road, in readiness for the arrival of the hearse with its followers from Rosemount. The great bell was tolling slowly as it appeared, and taking its appointed station the cortege, ranged in the following order:-

Employees of Messrs. Semon and Co.
Empoyees of Messrs. Siltzer and Co.
Chamber of Commerce.
Board of Guardians.
Bradford Infirmary.
Eye and Ear Hospital.
Fever Hospital.
Nurses’ Training Institution.
Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
Tradesmen’s Benevolent Institution.
Tradesmen Home.
Spinsters Provident Fund.
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Mechanics Institute.
Friends.
Church Institute.
Grand Order of Oddfellows.
Borough Magistrates
The Mayor and Corporation (preceded by the Mace Bearer and Corporate Officers).
THE HEARSE.
Members of the Jewish Assosication
Private Carriages

Amongst these were those of Mr Semon; Mr Lassens; the Mayor (Ald. Waud); Ald Mitchell; Mr Lewis, Claremont; George Hodgson, Legrams; William Mossman, Woodhall; Mr Nathan; Mr Glyde;Mr Sichel; Mr Joseph wade; Mr George Firth, Ashfield; Mrs Calvert, Manningham; Mr Henry Illingworth; Mr Angus Holden; Mr Simon Israel; Mr James Lund, Crosshills; Mr George Turner, Legrams; Mr Robert Kell; Mr Alfred Priestman, Dr Bronner; Mr T. Sheilds; Mr James Tankard, Bowling Hall; Mr Joseph Craven, Thornton; Ald Law, Bolton Hall; Mr Eli Mills; Mr M.W. Thompson, Guiseley; Mr F. Anderton, Bolton Royd; Mr B.S. Ward, Lightcliffe; Mr J.R. Armitage, Shipley; and about thirty others, Amongst the representatives of the various Institutions were Messrs. J Rhodes, J. Beanland, Councillor Armitage, Geo. Knowles, Robt Sutcliffe and Thos. Stephenson for the Infirmary; Drs Dunlop, Goyder, and Brown, anb Mr. Pesel for the Nurses’ Institution; Mr J.A. Godwin and Mr J.M. Jowett, the National Lifeboat; the Revs. Knight Gale, C. Edwards, Messrs J. Broadbent, J.P. Muff, B. Broughton, abd M. Eastwood, the Fever Hospital; Mr C. Behrens and J. Ambler of the Eye and Ear Hospital; Mr Philip Grant of Manchester and Mathew Balme, Bradford represented the promotors and supporters of the factory legislation in the North of England. The list of the chamber of Commerce, merchants, &c., woiuld comprise most of the leading names in the borough an ddistrict.

Upon leaving the Town Hall (another two pages down to This terminated the funeral obsequies.