Edward Salomon (August 11, 1828April 21, 1909) was a

Jewish American American Jews or Jewish Americans are American citizens who are Jewish, whether by religion, ethnicity, culture, or nationality. Today the Jewish community in the United States consists primarily of Ashkenazi Jews, who descend from diaspora Je ...

politician and the

8th 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...

, having ascended to office from the Lieutenant Governorship after the accidental drowning of his predecessor,

Louis P. Harvey Louis Powell Harvey (July 22, 1820 – April 19, 1862) was an American politician and the seventh Governor of Wisconsin. He was the first Wisconsin Governor to die in office. Early life Harvey was born in East Haddam, Connecticut, and moved w ...

. He was the first

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Governor of Wisconsin.

Early life

Salomon was born in

Ströbeck Schachdorf Ströbeck is a village in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, which since 1 January 2010 is part of the town of Halberstadt in the Harz district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Located about west of the city centre, the ''Schachdorf'' ("chess village" ...

, in the

Province of Saxony The Province of Saxony (german: link=no, Provinz Sachsen), also known as Prussian Saxony () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1944. Its capital was Magdeburg. It was formed by the merge ...

, in what was then the Kingdom of

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

. He was the son of Dorothea (Klussman) and Christoph Salomon. He attended the

University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...

, but as a

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

sympathizer, fled the country in 1849. He immigrated to the United States and settled in

Manitowoc, Wisconsin Manitowoc () is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2020 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,626, with over ...

, where he was a school teacher, a surveyor, and served as deputy circuit court clerk. In 1852 he moved to

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, where he read law, was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1855, and set up a law practice with Winfield Smith. Salomon was Jewish and a cousin of Edward S. Salomon, the future Governor of the Washington Territory who was considered to be one of the highest ranking Jewish heroes in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Career

In 1860, Salomon changed from his Democratic party affiliations to support Abraham Lincoln for the presidency, and in 1861 was nominated by the Republican Party on their Union Party ticket as candidate for Lieutenant Governor. He ultimately won the election by a narrow margin. In 1862, when Governor Lewis P. Harvey drowned, Salomon became Wisconsin's first German-born and Jewish governor. In 1862 Governor Salomon responded to a request from the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * D ...

for more troops by asking for volunteers and setting up a draft. He was able to raise 14 regiments. Salomon had to call up federal troops to quell the Port Washington Draft Riot. Suppression of the rioters with use of federal troops cost him the 1864 Republican nomination. Salomon's brothers,

Frederick Salomon Frederick (''Friedrich'') Charles Salomon (April 7, 1826March 8, 1897) was a German immigrant to the United States who served as a Union Army officer and general during the American Civil War. He was an elder brother of the Civil War-era Wiscon ...

and

Charles Eberhard Salomon Charles Eberhard Salomon (June 24, 1824January 9, 1881) was a German American immigrant, surveyor, and civil engineer. He served as a colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War and received an honorary brevet to brigadier general af ...

, served as officers in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

. On July 18, 1862, Frederick was appointed by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

as a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

of volunteers to rank from July 16, 1862.Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 727. President Lincoln submitted the nomination to the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

on May 17, 1862 and the Senate confirmed the appointment on July 16, 1862. Charles served as colonel of the 5th Missouri Volunteer Infantry (3 months, 1861) and on September 26, 1862 rejoined the army and succeeded Frederick as

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the

9th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 9th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 9th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was raised at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and mustered into Federal service O ...

.Eicher, 2001, p. 468 On March 13, 1865, his cousin Edward S. Salomon was made a brigadier general for his “distinguished gallantry and meritorious service.” On January 13, 1866, President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

nominated Charles Eberhard Salomon for appointment to the grade of

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

brigadier general of volunteers to rank from March 13, 1865, and the Senate confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866. In 1864, Salomon resumed his law practice in Milwaukee. In 1869 he moved to New York City, where he continued his law practice for a number of years as legal representative for various important German interests. When he retired in 1894, he returned to Germany and lived there until his death.

Death

Salomon died April 21, 1909 in Germany at Frankfurt am Main. He was buried at Frankfurt's Alter Jüdischer Friedhof ("Old Jewish Cemetery").

Family life

Salomon married a woman named Elise Nebel. He had three brothers,

Frederich Salomon Frederick (''Friedrich'') Charles Salomon (April 7, 1826March 8, 1897) was a German immigrant to the United States who served as a Union Army officer and general during the American Civil War. He was an elder brother of the Civil War-era Wiscons ...

, and Herman Salomon who were involved in the American Civil War.

References

External links

Salomon, Gov. Edward (1828-1909) , Wisconsin Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salomon, Edward 1828 births 1909 deaths German emigrants to the United States German-American Forty-Eighters 19th-century German Jews Republican Party governors of Wisconsin Jewish American state governors of the United States Lieutenant Governors of Wisconsin People from Halberstadt People from the Province of Saxony Politicians from Milwaukee People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Wisconsin lawyers Union (American Civil War) state governors Jewish American people in Wisconsin politics