{{short description|Australian politician (1839–1909)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}} {{Use Australian English|date=December 2015}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | image = Elias Solomon - Swiss Studios (cropped).jpg | office4 = Councillor of the Town of Fremantle | term_start4 = 1877 | term_end4 = 1881 | office3 = Mayor of Fremantle | parliament3 = Town of Fremantle | term_start3 = 1881 | term_end3 = 1881 | predecessor3 = Edward Higham | successor3 = Edward Higham | constituency_AM2 = South Fremantle | assembly2 = Western Australian Legislative | term_start2 = 14 October 1892 | term_end2 = 29 March 1901 | predecessor2 = David Symon | successor2 = Arthur Diamond | constituency_MP1 = Fremantle<ref name=FreoStudies>{{cite journal |title=Elias Solomon, first Federal Member of Parliament for Fremantle: life and letters 1839–1909 |first=Coralie |last=Solomon |date=2004 |journal=Fremantle Studies |volume=3 }}</ref> | parliament1 = Australian | predecessor1 = ''New seat'' | successor1 = William Carpenter | term_start1 = 29 March 1901 | term_end1 = 16 December 1903 | birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1839|9|2}} | birth_place = London, England | death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1909|5|23|1839|9|2}} | death_place = Beaconsfield, Western Australia, Australia | parents = Leah (née Myers) and Moss Solomon | party = Free Trade Party | occupation = Clerk }} '''Elias Solomon''' (2 September 1839 – 23 May 1909) was an Australian politician based in Fremantle. He was Mayor of Fremantle, MLA for South Fremantle, and the first Member for Fremantle in the Australian House of Representatives.<ref name=FreoStudies />
== 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.<ref name=FreoStudies /> The family returned to Sydney until Moss' death in 1849 when Leah again moved to Adelaide and Solomon<ref name=FreoStudies /> was educated at Adelaide Educational Institution.
== Career == After finishing school, Solomon joined another of his uncle's business concerns and in 1857 was sent to Mauritius to purchase goods.<ref name=FreoStudies /> On his return, he worked for the firm of ''Solomon and Salom'' in Adelaide, and also ''Falk and Co.'' of Melbourne.<ref name=FreoStudies />
At the age of 29 Solomon headed west to Fremantle in Western Australia, 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''<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110067852 |title=LABOR. |newspaper=Fremantle Herald |location=Fremantle, WA |date=25 April 1868 |accessdate=10 November 2014 |page=3}}</ref> of which Solomon was clerk and auctioneer. This venture was part-financed by his half-brother Judah Moss Solomon (of Melbourne) and brother-in-law Isaac Solomon (of Adelaide).
The weight of conducting business in a depressed economic environment bore on Solomon,<ref name=FreoStudies /> and this was not helped by his nephews being active members of Fremantle's ''Amateur Dramatics Company'',<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article111525824 |title=TOPICS OF THE WEEK. |newspaper=Fremantle Herald |location=Fremantle, WA |date=26 November 1870 |accessdate=10 November 2014 |page=3}}</ref> 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…"<ref name=FreoStudies />
In 1881 he was elected to the Fremantle City Council. In 1892, he was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly as the member for South Fremantle, where he remained until 1901. In that year, he transferred to federal politics, winning the Australian House of Representatives seat of Fremantle for the Free Trade Party. He was defeated by Labor's William Carpenter in 1903. Solomon died in 1909.<ref name=Psephos>{{cite web|last=Carr |first=Adam |title=Australian Election Archive |work=Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive |url=http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia |year=2008 |accessdate=2008-07-30 |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070717093439/http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/ |archivedate=17 July 2007 |df=dmy }}</ref> Solomon was at one time head of the Fremantle Cemetery board, which is where he is buried.
==''Ocean View'' residence== thumb|left|240px|''Ocean View'', his residence built in 1887 Solomon's residence, ''Ocean View'' at 134 Solomon Street, Beaconsfield, 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Admin/api/file/e18f0814-6d27-c18e-eaec-65cb4a69dfbb |title=Register Entry Assessment Documentation Ocean View|author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website=inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au |publisher=Heritage Council of Western Australia |access-date=29 November 2021 |quote=}}</ref> Solomon Street was renamed from Mary Street in the 1950s to commemorate Elias Solomon.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fremantle.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/City%20of%20Fremantle%20and%20Town%20of%20East%20Fremantle%20Street%20Names%20Index_0.pdf |title=City of Fremantle and Town of East Fremantle Street Names Index |access-date=29 June 2023}}</ref>
== Family ==
Solomon was married twice, firstly to Agnes Elizabeth Bickley ({{circa|1846}} – 22 April 1886), the daughter of Wallace Bickley.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3761336 |title=Family Notices. |newspaper=The West Australian |location=Perth |date=28 April 1886 |accessdate=5 July 2014 |page=3 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> After Agnes' death he re-married to Elizabeth Stokes (16 September 1868 – 3 December 1898) on 1 May 1887.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article76068503 |title=Family Notices. |newspaper=The Daily News |location=Perth |date=3 May 1887 |accessdate=5 July 2014 |page=3 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> They had five children.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article82395353 |title=Death of Mrs. Elias Solomon. |newspaper=Daily News (Perth, Western Australia) |location=Perth |date=6 December 1898 |accessdate=5 July 2014 |page=3 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
{{tree chart/start}} {{tree chart| | | | | | | | | SAM |y| SAM=Samuel Moss Solomon<br />{{circa|1769}} – 1842 }} {{tree chart| | | | | | |,|-|-|-|-|^|-|-|v|-|-|-|.}} {{tree chart| | | | | | MOS |y| LEA | | EMA | | VAI | |MOS=Moss Solomon<br />1796–1849 |LEA=Leah Myers |EMA=Emanuel Solomon<br />1800–1873 |VAI=Vaiben Solomon<br />1798–1860}} {{tree chart| | | | | |,|-|-|^|-|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|.|}} {{tree chart| AGN |~|ELI |y| LIZ | | ISA | | ROS | | Oth |ELI=Elias Solomon<br />1839–1909 |ISA=Isabella |AGN=Agnes Elizabeth Bickley<br />{{circa|1846}} – 1886 |LIZ=Elizabeth Stokes<br />1868–1898 |ROS=Rose |Oth=''Other children unknown'' |boxstyle_ELI=background-color:lavender }} {{tree chart| | | | | |,|-|^|-|v|-|-|.}} {{tree chart| | | | | WAL | | MAU | | ISS |WAL=Wallace Elias Bickley Solomon<br />1878–1950 |MAU=Maurice Elias Solomon<br />1888–1977 |ISS=''3 other children''}} {{tree chart/end}}
* Wallace Elias Bickley Solomon (1878–1950) was the first secretary, and honorary solicitor, of the Royal Western Australian Historical Society in 1926.<ref name=FreoStudies /> * Maurice Elias Solomon (1888–1977), lawyer and councillor of the City of Fremantle.<ref name=FreoStudies />
==See also== *List of notable descendants of Samuel Moss Solomon
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == *[http://www.naa.gov.au/naaresources/Publications/research_guides/guides/haven/chapter6.htm Prominent Australian Jews]
{{s-start}} {{s-par|au-wa-la}} {{succession box | title=Member for South Fremantle | before=David Symon | years=1892–1901 | after=Arthur Diamond}} {{s-par|au}} {{succession box | title=Member for Fremantle | before=New seat| after=William Carpenter| years=1901 – 1903}} {{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solomon, Elias}} Category:Jewish English politicians Category:Colony of Western Australia people Category:English emigrants to colonial Australia Category:People educated at Adelaide Educational Institution Category:Free Trade Party members of the Parliament of Australia Category:Jewish Australian politicians Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Fremantle Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives Category:Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Category:Australian auctioneers Category:1839 births Category:1909 deaths Category:Burials at Fremantle Cemetery Category:19th-century Australian politicians Category:19th-century Australian businesspeople Category:Mayors of Fremantle Category:Australian MPs 1901–1903