Nathan (N.C.) Livingston

NATHAN C. LIVINGSTON

Nathan C. Livingston was born into a family of four brothers on October 15, 1861, to Karl Livingston (?-1890) and Tybee Rosa Katz Livingston (1834-1914) in Shkud, Lithuania, near Vilnius. He married Anna Minnie Goldstone in 1882 and immigrated to the United States in 1883, sailing from the Port of Hamburg.

Nathan and Anna had seven children - six sons; Jay, William, Herman, Carl, David and Julius and a daughter, Rhea, who eventually married Max Travis. They initially settled in Davenport, Iowa, where Jay and William were born, then Omaha, Nebraska, where Herman, Carl and David were born. Nathan was naturalized as a United States citizen in Omaha in 1896. It is also possible that the Livingstons spent time in Illinois. Julius was born in East St. Louis, Missouri, after which the family finally moved to Tulsa, Okla- homa, around 1910-1911, three years after statehood. One of Nathan's brothers joined him in this move.

Nathan founded the Producers Oil Company upon his arrival in Tulsa and then the Livingston Oil Company, along with his sons. He was involved with many Jewish causes, including the founding of B'nai Emunah Synagogue, and he was also President of the Synagogue from 1922 to 1924. He was on the American Relief and the Jewish War Relief Committees, helping raise funds for the relief of Jews in World War 1. His efforts, begun in 1916, ultimately resulted in a campaign yielding over $1.2 million in current dollars.

Anna Livingston died on November 20, 1934, while Nathan Livingston died on May 29, 1943. The obituary published in the Tulsa Jewish Review saluted him for a lifetime of Jewish scholarship and devotion. He was an expert Talmudist and lectured frequently at B'nai Emunah, drawing from both the legal and midrashic strains in classic Jewish literature. He was also devoted to Ezras Torah, a venerable organization devoted to the support of impoverished rabbis and scholars. Nathan raised many thousands of dollars for this cause, devoting himself to personal solicitations in Oklahoma and, during summer sojourns, in Atlantic City. He was also devoted to the Tulsa Chevra Kadisha (Volunteer Burial Society) serving as its Gabbai Rishon (Chairman) for 33 years.

At the time of his death, Nathan was eulogized in Tulsa by Rabbi Morris Finer, who co-officiated at the service with Reverend M. Z. Tofield. A large gathering followed in Baltimore, Maryland, where "Reb Naftali" Livingston was eulogized by several prominent rabbis, including the dean of Ner Israel Yeshiva. At the time of his death, Nathan had eight grandchildren. Both Nathan and Anna are buried at the Baltimore Hebrew Cemetery.

ALAN LIVINGSTON ADDITIONAL MATERIAL BY PHIL GOLDFARB

https://www.ijn.com/in-tulsa-jews-were-on-the-right-side/

Successful oilman N.C. Livingston was an active leader in the Tulsa Jewish community, heading the establishment of the burial society and Orthodox synagogue, where he also served as president and taught a Talmud class.

The Jewish Lithuanian immigrant (1861-1944) and his wife Anna Livingston (1871-1934) had a newly married black couple named Gene and Willie Byrd working for them in 1921. Gene was the family driver while Willie was their housekeeper.

During the Race massacre, the couple and eight others of their family stayed in the Livingston’s basement and in their garage apartment for several days until they felt safe to go home.

The following year, N.C. Livingston’s son Julius received a letter from the KKK telling him and his brothers and Herman to “get your Jew crew out of Tulsa.”