Jacob Lampert
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Jacob Lampert (died 1912) was a wealthy cigar manufacturer from St. Louis, Missouri. He was born in Holland in 1856, moved to London, then emigrated to the U.S. with his family. First in Pittsburg, then Detroit, then finally in St. Louis.
In 1912, he died, and left his entire estate to his younger sister, Rosa Lampert. At that time, it paid the largest estate tax in Missouri. The estate par value was over $1.2 million in 1912. Eleven nephews and nieces contested the will, from both the Geist family, and the Van Raalte family. They claimed that Rosa had poisoned the mind of Jacob against them. She offered the nephews and nieces $50,000 to share if they would not litigate, but they went ahead with the lawsuit. In the end, Rosa Lampert prevailed, and won the entire amount.
There were dozens of newspaper articles in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper about the trial, including front page articles.
Rosa Lampert married and became Rosa Lampert Graff. She was a major philanthropist.
The cigar best seller was called Flor de Lampert.
