Hal Jacobs

Hal Jacobs (d 1933) was a cobbler in Washington, DC and a US spy during the Great War. He was highly placed in Bill Reach's spy ring. He was a friend and comforter of the often-distressed Nellie Semphroch, whose coffee shop was located across the street from his shoe repair store. Jacobs convinced Semphroch, whose coffee shop was popular with Confederate officers, to participate in the spy ring.

After the war, Jacobs married Semphroch. They had a daughter, Clara Jacobs, in 1920. In 1921, Jacobs, who, unlike many spies, had never been decorated for his wartime service, was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by President Theodore Roosevelt as one of Roosevelt's last official actions as President.

Jacobs died in 1933 of lung cancer, which he'd developed after smoking cigarettes for more than sixty years.