Elias Solomon (2 September 1839 – 23 May 1909) was an Australian politician based in

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

. He was Mayor of Fremantle, MLA for South Fremantle, and the first Member for

in the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Australian Senate, Senate. Its composition and powers are set out in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. ...

Early life

Solomon was born in London, England to Leah and Moss Solomon and migrated to Australia as a child, living at first in Sydney and then Adelaide. His uncle Emanuel Solomon owned the Queen's Theatre in Adelaide, and Solomon's father Moss was for a short while made manager. The family returned to Sydney until Moss' death in 1849 when Leah again moved to Adelaide and Solomon was educated at

Adelaide Educational Institution Adelaide Educational Institution was a privately run non-sectarian academy for boys in Adelaide founded in 1852 by John Lorenzo Young.B. K. Hyams'Young, John Lorenzo (1826–1881)' ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 6, Melbourne Uni ...

Career

After finishing school, Solomon joined another of his uncle's business concerns and in 1857 was sent to

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

to purchase goods. On his return, he worked for the firm of ''Solomon and Salom'' in Adelaide, and also ''Falk and Co.'' of Melbourne. At the age of 29 Solomon headed west to

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

, arriving on 20 January 1868 aboard ''Eliza Blanche'' and initially living in Henry Street. Soon the same year he was joined by two of his nephews and together then formed ''Solomon & Nephews, Auctioneers and Agents'' of which Solomon was clerk and auctioneer. This venture was part-financed by his half-brother

Judah Moss Solomon Judah Moss Solomon (21 December 1818 – 29 August 1880)Richards, Eric'Solomon, Judah Moss (1818 - 1880)' Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 6, Melbourne University Press, 1976, pp 163-164. was a successful businessman, Mayor of Adelai ...

(of Melbourne) and brother-in-law Isaac Solomon (of Adelaide). The weight of conducting business in a depressed economic environment bore on Solomon, and this was not helped by his nephews being active members of Fremantle's ''Amateur Dramatics Company'', performing at the Oddfellows in William Street. He wrote to them in July 1869: "…that you may not be under any misunderstanding with regard to my present dissatisfaction, I will be more explicit. You have taken up time belonging to the firm in Amateur Theatrical matters which, I believe, is acting prejudiciously to the business…" In 1881 he was elected to the

Fremantle City Council The City of Fremantle is a local government area in the south of Perth, Western Australia. The City covers an area of , and lies about southwest of the Perth central business district. History The City of Fremantle is named after Charles ...

. In 1892, he was elected to the

Western Australian Legislative Assembly The Western Australian Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Western Australia, an Australian state. The Parliament sits in Parliament House, Perth, Parliament House in the Western Australian capi ...

as the member for South Fremantle, where he remained until 1901. In that year, he transferred to federal politics, winning the

seat of

for the

Free Trade Party The Free Trade Party (FTP), officially known as the Free Trade and Liberal Association and also referred to as the Revenue Tariff Party in some states, was an Australian political party. It was formally organised in 1887 in New South Wales, in ...

. He was defeated by

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

's William Carpenter in 1903. Solomon died in 1909. Solomon was at one time head of the

Fremantle Cemetery Fremantle Cemetery is a cemetery located in Palmyra, Western Australia, Palmyra, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Established in 1898, it is the location of over 40,000 burials and 60,000 cremations, including of several murderers and doz ...

board, which is where he is buried.

''Ocean View'' residence

Solomon's residence, ''Ocean View'' at 134 Solomon Street,

Beaconsfield Beaconsfield ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, northwest of central London and southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High Wycombe. The ...

, was completed in 1887 in the Victorian Regency style. After his death it served as military hospital during World War One, until 1917, and as a maternity hospital in the years between the wars. It now has reverted to a private residence again and is heritage listed. Solomon Street was renamed from Mary Street in the 1950s to commemorate Elias Solomon.

Family

Solomon was married twice, firstly to Agnes Elizabeth Bickley ( – 22 April 1886), the daughter of Wallace Bickley. After Agnes' death he re-married to Elizabeth Stokes (16 September 1868 – 3 December 1898) on 1 May 1887. They had five children. * Wallace Elias Bickley Solomon (1878–1950) was the first secretary, and honorary solicitor, of the

Royal Western Australian Historical Society Royal Western Australian Historical Society has for many decades been the main association for Western Australians to collectively work for adequate understanding and protection of the cultural heritage of Perth and Western Australia. History T ...

in 1926. * Maurice Elias Solomon (1888–1977), lawyer and councillor of the

City of Fremantle The City of Fremantle is a local government areas of Western Australia, local government area in the south of Perth, Western Australia. The City covers an area of , and lies about southwest of the Perth central business district. History ...

References

External links