Lubin, David

David Lubin, (born June 10, 1849, Kłodawa, Pol., Russian Empire—died Jan. 1, 1919, Rome, Italy), Polish-born American merchant and agricultural reformer whose activities led to the founding (1905) of the International Institute of Agriculture as a world clearinghouse for data on crops, prices, and trade to protect the common interests of farmers of all nations.

Migrating with his family to England in 1853 and to New York City in 1855, where he became a goldsmith and jeweler, Lubin went to California in 1865 and for a few years sought gold there and in Arizona. He returned to California in 1874 and started a dry-goods business. After prospering as a merchant and farmer in California, Lubin helped to lead fruit growers in organizing for better treatment from the railroads. Later he became an energetic though unsuccessful advocate of tariff protection for American farmers. A trip to Europe in 1896 led to a more international outlook, and he then proposed his Institute—a proposal that was ignored by Great Britain, the United States, and France. Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, however, encouraged Lubin to organize the Institute in Rome and helped establish it by calling a conference resulting in a treaty that eventually was ratified by 77 nations. Lubin remained the American delegate to the Institute for the rest of his life.