Jonas Benjamin Phillips (October 28, 1805 – May 15, 1867) was an American dramatist, lyricist, poet, and attorney who served as the first assistant district attorney for New York County from 1843 to 1851.
Early life Phillips was born in Philadelphia in 1805 to a large, distinguished Jewish American family.Shapira, Yael. "An End to Wandering?: Jonas B. Phillips and Mary Shelley's "The Evil Eye". Partial Answers: Journal of Literature and the History of Ideas, vol. 15, no. 2, 2017, pp. 217-239. https://doi.org/10.1353/pan.2017.0015 Accessed 18 February 2024. His paternal grandfather was Jonas Phillips, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War and merchant in New York City and Philadelphia. Benjamin Mendez Seixas was his maternal grandfather, who also fought in the American Revolution, was a prominent merchant in Newport, Philadelphia, and New York City, and was one of the founders of the New York Stock Exchange.Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1906. Phillips, includes family tree: https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/12108-phillips# Seixas: https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13396-seixas Accessed 18 February 2024. Jonas B. Phillips studied law and passed the bar in Philadelphia in 1826.The United States Gazette (Philadelphia), May 2, 1826, p. 3.
Drama and Music Career Phillips moved to New York City in 1828"Obituary. Jonas B. Phillips." The Evening Telegraph (New York), May 16, 1867. and initially turned his efforts to creative pursuits rather than focusing on law. He wrote over 70 plays,"Jonas B. Phillips." Jewish Messenger (New York), May 24, 1867. popular with working-class audiences.Miller, Julie. Cry Murder on Broadway: A Woman’s Ruin and Revenge in Old New York. Ithaca, NY: Three Hills, 2020, p. 92. His most well-received plays were "The Evil Eye," produced in 1831, and "Camillus," in 1833. Phillips also wrote poetry and lyrics for popular music."Jonas B. Phillips: Timeline of Works." https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/people/jonas-b-phillips. Accessed 18 Feb 2024."Category:Phillips, Jonas B./Librettist." https://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Phillips,_Jonas_B./Librettist. Accessed 18 Feb 2024.Phillips, Jonas B. Zamira, a Dramatic Sketch: And Other Poems. New York: G.A.C. Van Beuren, 1835.
Legal career Phillips held other positions while he pursued writing. In 1831, he worked as a US Custom House clerk in New York City."Official Document. Custom House Officers, 1831." Daily National Intelligencer (Washington, D.C.), October 8, 1832 page 2. He was active in the Democratic-Republican Party in the 1830s"Eighth Ward." Evening Post (New York), October 4, 1832, p. 2. and later the Democratic Party."Pierce and King! Grand Mass Meeting of the Democracy at Tammany Hall." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 23, 1852, p. 3. In 1842, Phillips returned to law as an attorney."General Sessions; Trial for Burglary." New York Daily Herald, March 8, 1842, p. 2. He was appointed Commissioner of Deeds of New York County in 1843."Appointments by the Governor and Senate – March 11." Commercial Advertiser (NY), March 14, 1843, p. 2. Also in 1843, he became the first Assistant District Attorney of New York County, a position he held for eight consecutive years. After that, he pursued private practice in criminal law."Delicate Investigation." Sunday Dispatch (New York), September 28, 1851.
Personal life Phillips never married but had an adopted son."The Latest Temperance Lecture." Evening Post (New York), May 3, 1870. He died in 1867 after suffering for many years from kidney disease, known as “Bright's disease” at the time.
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