Born in 1731 to Portuguese converso Jews, Lopez practiced Catholicism openly and Judaism behind closed doors. Upon resettling in Newport in 1752, he headed a booming mercantile business. Not long after, he became a key supplier of munitions to American revolutionary forces, dabbled in whaling and, shamefully, participated in the slave trade.
Lopez was said to have had at least partial ownership of over 30 transoceanic ships and more than 100 coastal vessels. He was also a great promoter of positive interfaith relations, prohibiting ships from departing from his dock on either the Jewish or Christian Sabbaths.
jigganiggaboo 0 points 3 years ago
Lol he couldn't swim and drowned