{{short description|American dentist, soldier and politician (1841–1924)}} {{infobox officeholder | name = Albert Solliday | state = Wisconsin | state_senate = Wisconsin | district = 23rd | term_start = May 30, 1892 | term_end = January 2, 1899 | predecessor = Walter S. Greene | successor = John H. Harris | order1 = 24th | title1 = Mayor of Watertown, Wisconsin | term_start1 = April 1884 | term_end1 = April 1886 | predecessor1 = William H. Rohr | successor1 = William F. Voss | party = Democratic | birth_date = {{birth date|1841|2|13}} | birth_place = Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1924|12|13|1841|2|13}} | death_place = Watertown, Wisconsin, U.S. | resting_place = Oak Hill Cemetery, {{nowrap|Watertown, Wisconsin}} | spouse = {{marriage|Elizabeth Jones|1869|1908|end=died}} | allegiance = United States | branch = United States Volunteers<br />Union Army<br />Wisconsin National Guard | service_years = {{unbulleted list | 1862–1865 (USV) | 1882–1898 (WNG) | 1898 (USV) | 1899–1901 (WNG) }} | rank = {{unbulleted list | Lt. Colonel, USV | Brig. General, WNG }} | unit = {{unbulleted list | 114th Reg. Oh. Vol. Infantry | 2nd Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry }} | battles = American Civil War<br />Spanish–American War }} '''Albert A. Solliday''' (February 13, 1841{{spaced ndash}}December 13, 1924) was an American dentist, soldier, and Democratic politician. He was the 24th mayor of Watertown, Wisconsin, and represented Jefferson County in the Wisconsin Senate from 1892 to 1899. He served as a Union Army volunteer in the American Civil War and the Spanish–American War, and was later a general in the Wisconsin National Guard.
==Biography==
Born in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Solliday graduated from Circleville High School in Circleville, Ohio. During the American Civil War, Solliday served as a musician in Company A of the 114th Ohio Infantry Regiment. He remained through the entire service of the regiment, from Fall 1862 through July 1865.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://archive.org/details/officialrosterof08ohio/ |title= Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861–1866 |year= 1888 |publisher= Ohio Roster Commission |volume=8 |chapter= 114th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry |page= [https://archive.org/details/officialrosterof08ohio/page/109 109] |accessdate= April 2, 2022 }}</ref>
In 1868, Solliday moved to Watertown, Wisconsin where he worked in the dentistry profession. Solliday served on the Watertown school board and the Watertown common council, and was elected mayor for two consecutive terms, in 1884 and 1885.
During these years, he also became active with the Wisconsin National Guard and was captain of the "Watertown Rifles" guard company.<ref name="rollcall">{{Cite news|title= Final Roll Call for Veterans of Two Wars |newspaper= Watertown Daily News |date= December 13, 1924 }}</ref> He was promoted to adjutant of the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment in 1888, then major for the 1st battalion of the regiment in 1892, and finally was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the regiment in 1895.<ref name="rollcall"/>
In the Fall of 1891, Wisconsin state senator Walter S. Greene died in office. As it became obvious that special sessions of the Legislature would be needed to deal with redistricting in 1892, a special election was called in the Spring of 1892 to fill his seat. Solliday was the Democratic nominee in the special election, and went on to win with 59% of the vote.<ref name="1893bio">{{cite report|url= http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1893 |title= The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin |year= 1893 |publisher= State of Wisconsin |editor-last= Cunningham |editor-first= Thomas J. |chapter-url= https://images.library.wisc.edu/WI/EFacs/WIBlueBks/BlueBks/WIBlueBk1893/reference/wi.wibluebk1893.i0016.pdf |chapter= Biographical Sketches |page= 631 |accessdate= April 2, 2022 }}</ref> Two years later, he won election to a full four-year term at the 1894 general election.<ref name="1895bio">{{cite report|url= http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1895 |title= The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin |year= 1895 |publisher= State of Wisconsin |editor-last= Casson |editor-first= Henry |chapter-url= https://images.library.wisc.edu/WI/EFacs/WIBlueBks/BlueBks/WIBlueBk1895/reference/wi.wibluebk1895.i0016.pdf |chapter= Biographical Sketches |page= 669 |accessdate= April 2, 2022 }}</ref>
At the outbreak of the Spanish–American War, Solliday was still serving as lieutenant colonel of the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment and mustered into federal service with the regiment. They participated in the Puerto Rico campaign in 1898, and occupied the cities of Ponce and Coamo.<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98919173/2nd-wisconsin-regiment/ |title= For the Dead of the Second Regiment |newspaper= Oshkosh Northwestern |date= October 15, 1898 |page= 2 |accessdate= April 2, 2022 |via= Newspapers.com }}</ref> Hostilities ended in August 1898, and the regiment returned to Wisconsin in September.<ref name="army1907">{{cite report|url= http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1907 |title =The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin |editor-last= Beck |editor-first= J. D. |editor-link= Joseph D. Beck |publisher= State of Wisconsin |year= 1907 |chapter-url= https://images.library.wisc.edu/WI/EFacs/WIBlueBks/BlueBks/WIBlueBk1907/reference/wi.wibluebk1907.i0011.pdf |chapter= State and Educational Institutions, Grand Army Data |page= 824 |accessdate= April 2, 2022 }}</ref>
The regiment was mustered out in November 1898, and Solliday was then appointed quartermaster and commissary general for the state of Wisconsin, with the rank of brigadier general.<ref name="1899misc">{{cite report|url= http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1899 |title= The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin |year= 1899 |publisher= State of Wisconsin |editor-last= Froehlich |editor-first= William H. |chapter-url= https://images.library.wisc.edu/WI/EFacs/WIBlueBks/BlueBks/WIBlueBk1899/reference/wi.wibluebk1899.i0014.pdf |chapter= The Judiciary, United States Government, State Government, Miscellaneous State Societies, etc. |page= 649 |accessdate= April 2, 2022 }}</ref> He served just over two years in this role after the war.
Solliday died at his home in Watertown, Wisconsin.<ref>'Wisconsin Blue Book 1897,' Biographical Sketch of Albert Solliday, pg. 666</ref><ref name="rollcall"/>
==Electoral history== ===Wisconsin Senate (1892, 1894)=== {{Election box begin | title=Wisconsin Senate, 23rd District Special Election, 1892<ref name="1893bio"/>}} | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''Special Election, May 24, 1892''' {{Election box winning candidate with party link |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Albert Solliday |votes = 5,078 |percentage = 59.33% |change = +1.39% }} {{Election box candidate with party link |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = George J. Kispert |votes = 3,481 |percentage = 40.67% |change = +3.25% }} {{Election box plurality |votes = 1,597 |percentage = 18.66% |change = -1.87% }} {{Election box total |votes = 8,559 |percentage = 100.0% |change = +24.51% }} {{Election box hold with party link no swing |winner = Democratic Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}} {{Election box begin | title=Wisconsin Senate, 23rd District Election, 1894<ref name="1895bio"/>}} | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''General Election, November 6, 1894''' {{Election box winning candidate with party link |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Albert Solliday (incumbent) |votes = 5,611 |percentage = 50.22% |change = -9.11% }} {{Election box candidate with party link |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = Edwin Huebert |votes = 5,236 |percentage = 46.86% |change = +6.19% }} {{Election box candidate with party link |party = Prohibition Party |candidate = W. P. Stair |votes = 326 |percentage = 2.92% |change = }} {{Election box plurality |votes = 375 |percentage = 3.36% |change = -15.30% }} {{Election box total |votes = 11,173 |percentage = 100.0% |change = +30.54% }} {{Election box hold with party link no swing |winner = Democratic Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.watertownhistory.org/articles/solliday,%20albert.htm Watertown Historical Society-Colonel Albert A. Solliday]
{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-wi-sen}} {{s-bef|before = Walter S. Greene }} {{s-ttl|title = {{nowrap|Member of the Wisconsin Senate}} {{nowrap|from the 23rd district}} |years= May 30, 1892{{spaced ndash}}January 2, 1899 }} {{s-aft|after = John H. Harris }} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before = William H. Rohr }} {{s-ttl|title = Mayor of Watertown, Wisconsin |years= April 1884{{spaced ndash}}April 1886 }} {{s-aft|after = William F. Voss }} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solliday, Albert}} Category:1841 births Category:1924 deaths Category:Politicians from Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Category:People from Circleville, Ohio Category:Mayors of Watertown, Wisconsin Category:People of Ohio in the American Civil War Category:American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Category:Military personnel from Wisconsin Category:American dentists Category:School board members in Wisconsin Category:Wisconsin city council members Category:Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators Category:19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature