I owned a garment factory in that city in addition to a departments store. About 25% of my employees in the factory and 15% of my customers were immigrants from that country. Most were not yet US citizens. I was approached by some prominent members of the community and told that they had lobbied their embassy in Washington for a Consul in the city. They put forward my name, an attorney born in the a good working relationship with the immigrant community who could read, write and speak the language.
This was just good citizenship by providing service to that community and at the same time helping with applications for relatives to come to the US and many became employed in my factory. This was a time when most Americans were no longer interested in the needle trades.
It is now 30 years since I stopped doing business in that city and gave up the Consul’s position. I made many business and political connections that have been useful over the years. Most satisfying was helping more than 400 immigrants become citizens and 250 potential immigrants to come legally to the US with Visas I helped facilitate.
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