Constituency : Greenwich 1851-2, 1859-73
David is remembered as one of the first practising Jews to sit in the House. He was inevitably a successful banker and one of the founders of the London and Westminster Bank ( forerunner of Nat West ) though he later trained as a barrister. He first started testing religious legislation in 1835 when he was elected Sheriff of the City of London but was unable to take up the post until the following year when the Sheriffs' Declaration Act enabled him to by-pass the mandatory oath requiring profession of Christian faith. In the same year he was elected an alderman but faced the same problem and had to wait until 1847 for an Act to amend the oath. He became the first Jewish magistrate in England. David had been trying to enter Parliament since 1837 and was finally elected in 1851. He took the oath but omitted the Christian phrases and took his seat. This led to a fierce debate, David's removal by the Sergeant- at- arms and a fine. The seat was re-fought in 1852. While the question raged David upped the ratchet by being elected Lord Mayor of London in 1855. He had the memorial to the Great Fire changed, removing a line blaming it on the Catholics.
The law was changed in 1858 and David was duly re-elected in 1859. He was a frequent speaker in the House, often on financial matters. He was made a baronet in 1869.
He died in 1873 aged 75.
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