Kaplan , Eliezer , 1891-1952 , Zionist activist and Israeli politician

Eliezer Kaplan was born 1891; joined the Socialist Zionist Party, 1905; founder of the Youth of Zion - Renewal movement, 1908; founder of the Youth of Zion movement in Russia, 1912; member of the Ukrainian delegation to the Versailles Peace Conference, 1919; immigrated to Mandate Palestine, and was involved in merging Youth of Zion with Hapoel Hatzair to form Hitachdut, 1920; elected to the Zionist Executive Committee, 1920; went to Berlin to run Hitachdut's world office, 1920; returned to Mandate Palestine and joined the Histadrut's Office of Public Works, 1923; Director of the Technical Department of the Tel Aviv municipality, 1923-1925; Tel Aviv city council, 1925-1933; treasurer of the Jewish Agency, 1933-1948; signed the Israeli declaration of independence, and appointed Minister of Finance in the provisional government, 1948; elected to the first Knesset as a member of Mapai, and retained the Finance Ministry post, also becoming Minister of Trade and Industry; Deputy Prime Minister, 1952; died 1952.