Samuel Simeon Fels

Samuel Simeon Fels
Fels Institute of Government
Born	February 16, 1860 Yanceyville, North Carolina
Died	June 23, 1950 (age 90) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nationality	American
Occupation	Soap manufacturer
Spouse(s)	Jennie May
Family	Joseph Fels (brother)

Samuel Simeon Fels (February 16, 1860 in Yanceyville, North Carolina – June 23, 1950 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was an American businessman and philanthropist.

Biography[]

Born to a Jewish family in Yanceyville, North Carolina, Fels family relocated to Philadelphia, where Samuel's older brother Joseph Fels founded a soap manufacturing company, Fels & Co., which found success with the product Fels-Naptha. Samuel became the company's first president, a post he held until his death at age 90.

An active philanthropist, in 1936, Fels established the Samuel S. Fels Fund, which provides support to Philadelphia-area non-profit organizations, even today. Fels also founded the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government. Fels is known for commissioning Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto Op. 14 in 1939.

External links[]

• Fels Institute of Government, University of Pennsylvania
• The Fels Planetarium at The Franklin Institute
• The Samuel S. Fels Fund
• Fels Longitudinal Study
• Iso Briselli, the adopted son of Samuel S. Fels
• Samuel Simeon Fels at Find a Grave
• The Samuel Simeon Fels Papers, including correspondence, records and other materials, are available for research use at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.