Vaiben Louis Solomon

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the South Australian brewer and politician. For the New South Wales pastoralist, see Vaiben Solomon.

Langdon Bonython, Paddy Glynn, Frederick Holder, Charles Kingston, Alexander Poynton
Preceded byNew seat
Succeeded byDivision abolished
Personal details
Born(1853-05-13)13 May 1853
Adelaide, South Australia
Died20 October 1908(1908-10-20) (aged 55)
Political partyConservatives
Free Trade (1901–03)

Vaiben Louis Solomon (13 May 1853 – 20 October 1908) was the 21st Premier of South Australia and a member of the first Australian Commonwealth parliament. He was generally known by his full name (perhaps to distinguish him from his uncle, Vaiben Solomon (1802 – 21 June 1860), who was transported with his brother Emanuel Solomon to New South Wales in 1818 for larceny and became a wealthy pastoralist of Horningsea Park).

History

Solomon was born in

Kapunda, where he developed his talent for amateur theatricals.[3] He returned to Adelaide, where he worked at the Stock Exchange.[4] Vaiben wished to marry Mary Ann Wigzell (c. June 1856 – 7 January 1885), a Gentile, but his father forbade the marriage, going so far as to publish a notice to that effect.[5] In 1873 Solomon left for (perhaps sent by his father) the Northern Territory, where he became editor of the Northern Territory Times as well as holding successful mining and mercantile holdings. He helped run his brother Moss's[6] Darwin store,[7] then left to open his own, "Solomon's Emporium", which flourished while his brother's languished.[4] He became an auctioneer in 1877, and had a business partnership with Frederick Percy Stevens and Herbert Henry Adcock in 1878. On 6 December 1880, three months after his father's death, Solomon married Wigzell, who was by then Mary Ann Bridgland, a widow with a young son; she died a little over four years later, having in the meantime had a daughter by Vaiben. Her two children were taken to Adelaide to be cared for by relatives.[4] He became a prominent figure in the Northern Territory, where he gained the nickname "Black Solomon" from the time when, on a dare, he painted himself black and walked naked (streaked?) through the streets of Palmerston (now known as Darwin). He had helped found Palmerston's first municipal council in 1874 and was later served as Chairman. He founded a building company and became quite prosperous, building for himself a residence on The Esplanade that was perhaps the grandest in the town.[4]

Solomon was elected with colleague

government whip before becoming Leader of the Opposition in 1899, when he had the Charles Kingston government dissolve over Kingston's proposal to extend suffrage to all householders and their wives. Solomon then became Premier and Treasurer of South Australia for one week, 1 December to 8 December 1899, before further machinations led to new Opposition Leader Frederick Holder gaining the Premiership, and gaining for Vaiben the cognomen "Sudden Solomon".[9]

Vaiben Louis Solomon at the 1897–1898 Australasian Federal Convention.

Solomon was a member of the Australian Federation Convention in 1897 and the Convention that framed the

shortest serving Premier
.

Recognition

The

Hundred of Solomon in South Australia[10] and the Electoral Division of Solomon in the Northern Territory
are named after him.

Family

V. L. Solomon (1853–1908) married the widow Mary Ann Bridgland (née Wigzell) (c. June 1856 – 7 January 1885) on 6 December 1880 in Darwin. He married again, to Alice Cohen ( – 19 May 1954) of Richmond, Victoria on 22 July 1896, and lived at "Beryl", Robe Terrace Medindie. His children were:

He adopted Mary Ann's son Harrie Walter Bridgland (31 May 1879 – 17 October 1947), who for a time called himself Harrie Walter Solomon or Solomon-Bridgland, then disowned him in 1903.[13] Harrie was a champion swimmer, as was his son Walter Lewis Bridgland (23 March 1908 – 30 July 1987), Lord Mayor of Adelaide 1966–1968.

For further details on Vaiben Louis Solomon's extended family, please refer to

Samuel Moss Solomon
.

See also

  • Solomon Ministry
  • List of Jewish members of the Australian parliament

Notes

  1. ^ "Adelaide Educational Institution". South Australian Register. Adelaide. 15 December 1862. p. 3. Retrieved 3 September 2012 – via Trove.
  2. ^ "Biographies of the Members". South Australian Register. Adelaide. 26 May 1893. p. 6. Retrieved 3 September 2012 – via Trove.
  3. Quiz and The Lantern
    . South Australia. 20 June 1895. p. 4. Retrieved 21 April 2020 – via Trove. The name comes from the proverb "Better a nimble ninepence than a lazy shilling", analogous to "Small Profits and Quick Returns"
  4. ^
    ISSN 1836-7860
    . Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  5. ^ "Advertising". South Australian Register. Adelaide. 11 October 1872. p. 2. Retrieved 29 December 2015 – via Trove. Interesting that Vaiben was able to publish a riposte in the same column
  6. ^ Moss Judah Solomon (1843–1933)
  7. The Northern Territory Times and Gazette
    . 8 July 1876. p. 2. Retrieved 29 December 2015 – via Trove.
  8. ^ "Biographies of the Members". South Australian Register. Adelaide. 26 May 1893. p. 6. Retrieved 29 December 2015 – via Trove.
  9. Quorn Mercury
    . SA. 22 December 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 27 December 2015 – via Trove.
  10. ^ Manning, Geoffrey Haydon. "Manning index of South Australian place names: Solomon". State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  11. ^ "A Plucky South Australian Girl". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 23 April 1894. p. 4. Retrieved 29 December 2015 – via Trove.
  12. The Mail
    . Adelaide. 22 November 1924. p. 11. Retrieved 29 December 2015 – via Trove.
  13. ^ "Advertising". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 17 March 1903. p. 2. Retrieved 13 September 2014 – via Trove.

References

External links

 

Political offices
Preceded by Leader of the Opposition of South Australia
1899 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Premier of South Australia
1899
Preceded by Treasurer of South Australia
1899
Preceded by Leader of the Opposition of South Australia
1899–1901 		Succeeded by
Parliament of South Australia
New district Member for Northern Territory
1890–1901
Served alongside: Parsons, Griffiths, Herbert 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member for Northern Territory
1905–1908
Served alongside: Mitchell 		Succeeded by
Parliament of Australia
New district Member for
Bonython, Glynn, Holder, Kingston, Poynton
 		District abolished
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