Salomon, Edward, 1828-1909

<p>Edward Salomon (August 11, 1828 – April 21, 1909) was a Jewish American politician and the 8th Governor of Wisconsin, having ascended to office from the Lieutenant Governorship after the accidental drowning of his predecessor, Louis P. Harvey. He was the first Jewish Governor of Wisconsin.</p>

<p>Salomon was born in Ströbeck, in the Province of Saxony, in what was then the Kingdom of Prussia. He was the son of Dorothea (Klussman) and Christoph Salomon. He attended the University of Berlin, but as a revolutionary sympathizer, fled the country in 1849. He immigrated to the United States and settled in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where he was a school teacher, a surveyor, and served as deputy circuit court clerk. In 1852 he moved to Milwaukee, where he read law, was admitted to the bar 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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

EDWARD SALOMON was born in Stroebeck, near Halberstadt, Prussia. He graduated with a degree in natural history and philosophy from the University of Berlin in 1849. That same year, he followed his brother (who fled after participating in the revolution) to America, settling in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. After teaching school and serving as Manitowoc County Surveyor and Deputy Clerk of the Circuit Court, he went on to study law and opened a law practice. In 1857, he was appointed by Governor Coles Bashford to the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin. Salomon had been a Democrat, but he supported Lincoln and the Republicans in 1860. In 1861, he ran on the Republican ticket as the nominee for Lieutenant Governor, winning the election. After the drowning death of Governor Louis Harvey, Salomon took over the position of chief state executive—the first foreign-born governor of Wisconsin. During his brief tenure as governor, he contended with bitterness and violence over a military draft that struck the poorer, immigrants communities of the State, as well as fears that Confederate agents were fomenting uprisings among Indian tribes in the Midwest. At the same time, he is credited with originating the legislation passed by special session to give Wisconsin soldiers in the field the right to vote. Salomon was not renominated by the Republican Party in the gubernatorial election of 1863. After an unsuccessful campaign for a U.S. Senate seat, he moved to New York City and opened a law practice. He was also counselor for the German Consulate-General at New York City, where he opened a law practice. His wife’s poor health prompted their return to Germany, where Salomon died.

<p>Gov. Edward Salomon was one of four brothers from Germany who distinguished themselves during the Civil War era (Edward, Frederick, Charles, and Herman). He became the 8th governor of Wisconsin and is best remembered for his tireless efforts to raise new regiments and his handling of the 1862 draft riots in Wisconsin.</p>

<p>Edward Salomon was born on 1828 in Prussia and studied at the University of Berlin. His support for democracy during the 1848 German uprisings forced him to flee the country in 1849. He settled in Manitowoc, Wisconsin in 1852, and began to study law in Milwaukee in 1855. He was admitted to the bar in 1855. As the Civil War approached, he became active in Republican Party politics.</p>

<p>The Republican Party chose Salomon as its candidate for lieutenant-governor in 1861 thinking he would carry the German vote. He was elected, and when Gov. Louis P. Harvey accidentally drowned in April 1862, he succeeded to the governorship.</p>