Which Jewish American financier of the Revolution helped finance the war, was part of an espionage ring, arrested by the British for spying but escaped before being hung, and died penniless?

• A. Marquis de Lafayette
• B. Richard Henry Lee
• C. Jonathan Trumbull Sr
• D. Haym Salomon

Answer: (D)

This item highlights a figure who bridged financing the war with covert support for the Patriot cause. Haym Salomon, a Polish-born Jewish immigrant in Philadelphia, became a crucial financier of the American Revolution by arranging loans, selling bonds, and coordinating funds for the Continental Army with leaders like Robert Morris. Beyond his financial work, he was connected to espionage networks that aided the American effort. The British arrested him on spying charges, and, according to tradition, he escaped execution. He spent his final years in poverty, dying penniless in 1785. The combination of funding the war, involvement in covert support, and dying destitute is unique to salomon among the figures listed.