Salomon, Edward S. (Edward Selig), 1836-1913

<p>Edward Selig Salomon (December 25, 1836 – July 18, 1913) was a German Jew who immigrated to the United States and served as a lieutenant colonel in Union in the American Civil War. After nomination for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers to rank from March 13, 1865, by President Andrew Johnson on January 13, 1866, the United States Senate confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866. Salomon later became governor of Washington Territory and a California legislator.</p>

<p>Salomon, who was Jewish, was born in the Duchy of Schleswig, the son of Caroline (Samuels) and Salomon M. Salomon. He emigrated to Illinois in 1856 and 5 years later, at age 24, was elected an alderman of Chicago's sixth ward in 1861, the youngest in Chicago history, and served until 1863. His cousin Edward Salomon, who also served as a general in the Civil War, later became Governor of Wisconsin.</p>

<p>In July 1861, Salomon was commissioned as a first lieutenant in Colonel Friedrich Hecker's 24th Illinois Infantry Regiment. Disagreements arose between Hecker and some of his officers, after which Hecker and his supporters resigned, including Salomon. Salomon became a civilian again from December 1861 to September 1862. In August 1862, Hecker formed a new regiment, the 82nd Illinois Infantry, or the "Second Hecker Regiment", composed mainly of German, Jewish, Swedish, and other European volunteers. Salomon joined and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel on September 26, 1862.</p>

<p>In the spring of 1870, Edward S. Salomon (1836-1913) takes office as governor of Washington Territory. He serves from the spring of 1870 to the spring of 1872. As of 2003, he has been Washington's only Jewish governor. A civil war hero who rose to the rank of brigadier general, Salomon was appointed by U.S. President Grant in 1869.</p>

<p>Edward Selig Salomon was born in Schleswig, at the time a duchy of Denmark, in 1836. He immigrated to the United States at age 17. He settled in Chicago and became a successful businessman, attorney, and the city's youngest Alderman.</p>

<p><b>Hero at Gettysburg</b></p>

<p>Salomon enlisted early in the Civil War and quickly rose to the rank of Captain. In 1862, he joined with other officers to organize the 82nd Illinois regiment chiefly made up of Jews and European immigrant volunteers and commanded it at the battle of Gettysburg. Salomon was brevetted brigadier general for "distinguished gallantry and meritorious service" at the end of the war.</p>

<p>Salomon returned to Chicago after the war and served as County Clerk until 1869, when President Ulysses S. Grant appointed him governor of Washington Territory. He served two years and then relocated to San Francisco, where he built a new career in California law, politics, and military affairs. He died in 1913.</p>