Solomon Neill Sheridan Jr. (December 10, 1858 – January 23, 1936) was an American historian, newspaperman, and writer.

Early years

Sheridan was born in

St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includ ...

, in 1858, the son of Solomon N. Sheridan and Anne Byrne Sheridan. He moved to Ventura, California, with his parents and six siblings in 1873.

Newspaperman

Sheridan began working in the newspaper business for the ''Ventura Signal'', which was owned by his brother E. M. Sheridan. He next moved to San Francisco and in 1882 became a correspondent for the '' San Francisco Chronicle'' in Washington, D.C. By 1890, he had moved to Arizona where he helped found ''

The Arizona Republican ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. Copies are sold at $2 daily or at $3 ...

''. In 1898, he was a war correspondent during the Spanish–American War, reporting from Guam and the Philippines as a correspondent for '' The San Francisco Call'' and the ''

New York Herald The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the ''New-York Tribune'' to form the '' New York Herald Tribune''. His ...

''. He was aboard the ''

USS Charleston USS ''Charleston'' may refer to: * , a galley in commission from 1798 to 1802 * , a protected cruiser commissioned in 1889 and wrecked in 1899 * , a protected cruiser in commission from 1905 to 1923 * , a gunboat in commission from 1936 to 1946 * ...

'' to report on the Spanish surrender at Guam. After the war, he traveled extensively through Asia and the Pacific and became the associate editor of the '' Pacific Commercial Advertiser'' in Honolulu.

Political and civic efforts

Upon his return from Hawaii, Sheridan worked for two years as private secretary to U.S. Senator

Frank Putnam Flint Frank Putnam Flint (July 15, 1862February 11, 1929) was a United States Senator from California from 1905 to 1911. Born in North Reading, Massachusetts, in 1869 his family moved to San Francisco, California, where he attended public schools. H ...

. While on Flint's staff, Sheridan served as secretary to the Senate Committee on Interoceanic Canals (of which Flint was chairman) and traveled to Panama during the construction of the Panama Canal and also along the west coast of Mexico. Sheridan returned to Ventura where he became the secretary of the chamber of commerce, working to develop the

Rincon Parkway The Rincon Parkway is a portion of California State Route 1 along the north coast of Ventura County, California. This narrow coastal area north of the city of Ventura and south of the Santa Barbara County line is commonly referred to as The Ri ...

and a harbor for Ventura. In 1913, he founded and served as curator of the Pioneer Museum at the

Ventura County Courthouse The Ventura County Courthouse, known since 1974 as Ventura City Hall, is a historic building in Ventura, California. It is located on a hill at the top of California Street, overlooking the city's downtown district with views of the Santa Barbara ...

. He was also the driving force behind the construction of the Maricopa Highway (now California State Route 33) going north from Ventura. The highway, finally completed in 1933, was considered a "crowning achievement" for Sheridan.

Author

Sheridan was also an author. His "History of Ventura County, California" was published in 1926. He also wrote children's books, including "Billy Vanilla: A Story of the Snowbird Country" (Lothrop, Lee & Shepard 1919), "The Typhoon's Secret" (Doubleday, Page & Company 1920), and "The Little Spotted Seal" (Harper & Brothers 1929).

Personal life and death

Sheridan did not marry. He took in three homeless boys, raising and educating them. In January 1936, Sheridan died at age 77 at Ventura's Foster Memorial Hospital. He was buried at the Ventura City Cemetery. Sheridan's papers are maintained at the research library at The Museum of Ventura County.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheridan, Sol N. 1858 births 1936 deaths American newspaper reporters and correspondents New York Herald people San Francisco Chronicle people War correspondents of the Spanish–American War People from St. Joseph, Missouri People from Ventura, California