Mordecai Manuel Noah (1785–1851), journalist, author, public official, and Jewish community leader, was a native of Philadelphia who began publishing political articles in newspapers in that city and Charleston, South Carolina, during his early years. In 1811 President James Madison appointed him to serve as the first American consul at Riga, but he never assumed the post. Instead, he accepted the same position at Tunis. During his consular service there, Noah was tasked with freeing American seamen who were being held in Algiers. His failure to secure freedom for most of these captives culminated in his recall in 1815. In order to maintain secrecy for the mission and pursue conspiracy charges against one of his agents, the United States government claimed that the Algerian government had objected to Noah’s religious affiliation. This led him to publish two works in defense of his actions: Correspondence and Documents Relative to the Attempt to Negotiate for the Release of the American Captives at Algiers; including Remarks on our Relations with that Regency (Washington, 1816), and Travels in England, France, Spain, and the Barbary States, in the years 1813–14 and 15 (New York, 1819; Poor, Jefferson’s Library description begins Nathaniel P. Poor, Catalogue. President Jefferson’s Library, 1829 description ends , 7 [no. 331]). On his return to the United States, Noah settled in New York City, where he edited a succession of newspapers beginning with the National Advocate. In 1820 he approached the New York state legislature with a proposal to establish a Jewish colony on Grand Island in the Niagara River. By 1825 Noah had acquired land there and laid the cornerstone for his planned Jewish refuge in a widely publicized ceremony, but the settlement never progressed further. He was also notable as a playwright, authoring multiple dramas staged during his lifetime. Noah died in New York City (ANB description begins John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes, eds., American National Biography, 1999, 24 vols. description ends ; DAB description begins Allen Johnson and Dumas Malone, eds., Dictionary of American Biography, 1928–36, 20 vols. description ends ; Jonathan D. Sarna, Jacksonian Jew: The Two Worlds of Mordecai Noah [1981]; DNA: RG 59, LAR, 1809–25; JEP description begins Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States description ends , 2:188, 193, 347, 348 [13, 27 Nov. 1811, 31 May, 1 June 1813]; Brigham, American Newspapers description begins Clarence S. Brigham, History and Bibliography of American Newspapers, 1690–1820, 1947, 2 vols. description ends , 1:672; Madison, Papers, Pres. Ser., 2:506–7, and Retirement Ser., 1:252–3, 286–7, 352–3; New-York Daily Tribune, 25 Mar. 1851).

Noah also sent copies of the enclosed discourse to James Madison and John Adams (Madison, Papers, Retirement Ser., 1:252–3; Noah to Adams, 24 July 1818 [MHi: Adams Papers]).