Louis Sulzbacher

Louis Sulzbacher (May 10, 1842 – January 17, 1915) was the first continental American appointed as Associate Justice of the newly created Supreme Court of Puerto Rico in 1900. Appointed by President William McKinley he assumed his post in August 1900 and served until 1904.

Early life and family Louis M. Sulzbacher was born in Kirchheimbolanden, Kingdom of Bavaria on May 10, 1842, to Jacob Sulzbacher and Regina Schwarz. Jacob was a professor and writer for several newspapers, while Regina was German language scholar educated in Paris. The Sulzbacher family was Jewish and claimed descendancy from Saul Wahl and Rashi. He studied in Frankfurt and was fluent in English, German, Greek, Spanish, French and Latin.

Move to United States He moved to the United States in 1859 and settled in New Mexico Territory where he read the law. He married Paulina Flersheim in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1869. During the Spanish-American War he served in the Rough Riders.

In 1900, President William McKinley appointed Sulzbacher, who was fluent in Spanish, as one of the first judges of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. He was buried in Kansas City. After his death he was honored by the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico in a Memorial Resolution on January 29, 1915.