On 7 February 1817, United States President James Madison appointed Joel Hart as the consul at Leith, Scotland, a position in which he would remain until 1832.
Born in Philadelphia, Hart received his M.D. from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, London. While in London, he met and married his wife, Louisa Levien. Hart was also a prominent member of the Medical Society of the County of New York and was one of the founders of the College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1807.
Hart’s father, Ephraim, was a prominent Jewish American business leader who helped to organize the New York Stock Exchange and was one of the signatories of the and business partner of American business magnate and real estate developer John Jacob Astor IV. In addition to being a successful businessman, he was a prominent Jewish leader at the Shearith Israel congregation and was a founder of its burial society, Ḥebra Hesed Veemet.
Hart returned from abroad on 9 November 1817, living the rest of his life in New York and continuing to practice medicine.
Joel Hart passed away on 14 June 1842. He is buried in the cemetery of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City.
