# David Goldbaum

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**David Goldbaum** (1858–1930) was a Mexican surveyor and politician. He served as the mayor of [Ensenada, Baja California](/source/Ensenada,_Baja_California), from 1927 to 1930 and surveyed much of [Baja California](/source/Baja_California).

## Early life

David Goldbaum was born in 1858 in [Mexico](/source/Mexico).[1] His father was of [Polish-Jewish](/source/Polish-Jewish) origin who emigrated to Mexico as a pioneer.[1] His paternal uncle, [Marcus Goldbaum](/source/Marcus_Goldbaum), was a German-born settler in the [Arizona Territory](/source/Arizona_Territory) who tried to bargain with Native Americans to release their captives in 1866–1870,[2] and was later murdered by the [Apaches](/source/Apache) in 1886.[3] His cousin, [Julius Goldbaum](/source/Julius_Goldbaum), sold tobacco, wine and cheese through [Julius Goldbaum, Inc.](/source/Julius_Goldbaum,_Inc.) in Arizona;[4] he also owned mining interests in Arizona.

Goldbaum was kidnapped with several schoolchildren as a child and released after his father paid a ransom.[1] Shortly after, he was sent to be educated in [San Francisco, California](/source/San_Francisco,_California) in the United States.[1] He graduated from the [Colorado School of Mines](/source/Colorado_School_of_Mines) in [Golden, Colorado](/source/Golden,_Colorado), where he studied [Mineralogy](/source/Mineralogy).[1]

## Career

Goldbaum served as the surveyor of much of [Baja California](/source/Baja_California), including [Ensenada](/source/Ensenada,_Baja_California), where he settled.[1] He also served as the Director of the Museo Regional in Ensenada.[5] He then served as Mayor from 1927 to 1930.[1]

He explored much of Baja California, where he owned mining interests.[1][6] He wrote *The Charles Pacheco colony*, an essay of fourteen pages, in 1917.[7] A year later, in 1918, he wrote, *Indian tribes of northern district, Lower California, Mexico.*, an essay of twenty-three pages.[8] That same year, he wrote *Towns and villages of Lower California.* in 1918.[9]

Goldbaum co-wrote *Towns of Baja California: A 1918 Report*.[6][10] It was rediscovered by Ellen C. Barrett in 1954 and translated into English by William O. Hendricks of the Sherman Foundation. In a 1972 academic review written by Dr. W. Michael Mathes, an Associate Professor of History at the [University of San Francisco](/source/University_of_San_Francisco), for *The Journal of San Diego History*, Mathes suggested it was "rather brief", with "a well-researched and well-written introduction and extensive historical notes on each settlement".[6]

In 1930, shortly before his death, he wrote *Lower California, Its History, Resources, Possibilities and Opportunities: Fishing, Hunting and Points of Interest*.[11]

According to the *[Jewish Telegraphic Agency](/source/Jewish_Telegraphic_Agency)*, he was "a personal friend" of Presidents [Porfirio Díaz](/source/Porfirio_D%C3%ADaz), [Plutarco Elías Calles](/source/Plutarco_El%C3%ADas_Calles) and [Emilio Portes Gil](/source/Emilio_Portes_Gil).[1]

## Death

He died in 1930.[1] His two sons, Federico and Rodolfo, died of the [yellow fever](/source/Yellow_fever).[12]

## Legacy

The *[Crassinella goldbaumi](/source/Crassinella_goldbaumi)*, a [mollusk](/source/Mollusk) mostly found in Baja California, was named in his honor.[5]

## References

1. [David Goldbaum, Son of Jewish Pioneer in Mexico, Dies at 71](https://www.jta.org/1930/03/12/archive/david-goldbaum-son-of-jewish-pioneer-in-mexico-dies-at-71), *Jewish Telegraphic Agency*, March 12, 1930

1. Susan Michno, *A Fate Worse Than Death: Indian Captivities in the West, 1830-1885*, Caxton Press, 2007, pp. 278-280 [\[1\]](https://books.google.com/books?id=0RX3xCm9i5cC&dq=Marcus+Goldbaum&pg=PA279)

1. [Glimpses of the "Old" American Jewish West Vignettes from the Western States Jewish Historical Quarterly Published by the Southern California Jewish Historical Society, Collated by Jerry Klinger](https://www.jewishmag.com/178mag/jews_out_west/jews_out_west.htm), *The Jewish Magazine*, September 2013

1. [Julius Goldbaum](http://www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/upLoads/library_Goldbaum-Julius1.pdf) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140916015454/http://www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/upLoads/library_Goldbaum-Julius1.pdf) 2014-09-16 at the Wayback Machine, [Arizona Historical Society](/source/Arizona_Historical_Society)

1. Eric Jordan, *The Pleistonence Fauna of Magdalena Bay, Lower California*, Palo Alto, California: Stanford University Press, p. 126 [\[2\]](https://books.google.com/books?id=frWaAAAAIAAJ&dq=david+goldbaum+california+ensenada&pg=PA126)

1. Mathes, W. Michael (Summer 1972). ["Book review: Towns of Baja California, A 1918 Report by David Goldbaum. Translated and Edited by William O. Hendricks."](http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/72summer/br-bajatowns.htm). *The Journal of San Diego History*. **18** (3). Retrieved 10 March 2015.

1. [HathiTrust: The "Charles Pacheco colony" by David Goldbaum.](http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/011983719?type%5B%5D=author&lookfor%5B%5D=%22Goldbaum%2C%20David%2C%201858-1930.%22&ft=)

1. [HathiTrust: Indian tribes of northern district, Lower California, Mexico.](http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/011983720?type%5B%5D=author&lookfor%5B%5D=%22Goldbaum%2C%20David%2C%201858-1930.%22&ft=)

1. [Worldcat: Towns and Villages of Lower California.](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/13504861)

1. [Worldcat: Towns of Baja California: a 1918 report](/source/Oclc:4096923)

1. [Worldcat: Lower California, its history, resources, possibilities and opportunities: fishing, hunting and points of interest.](/source/Oclc:25358175)

1. David Pinera Ramirez, *Baja California 1901-1905: Considerations and Data for Its Demographic History*, SCERP and IRSC publications, 1994, p. 207 [\[3\]](https://books.google.com/books?id=VSi9NZ6sGyIC&dq=David+Goldbaum+mining&pg=PA207)

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