Elias Solomon was born in London, England on 2 September 1839 and came to South Australia with his Jewish family as an infant in 1840 moving shortly afterwards to New South Wales. His father died in 1849 and the family returned to Adelaide where Elias worked for his auctioneer uncle and became chief clerk of the firm.
In 1868 he moved to Western Australia and established a business as an auctioneer and general merchant in association with two of his nephews. After the business dissolved he became a business partner with Lionel Samson and then with L A Manning.
Dating from 1877 he served a six year term on the Fremantle Town Council and was subsequently Mayor of Fremantle on three occasions between 1889 and 1901.
Ocean View in Solomon St, Fremantle, was constructed for Elias Solomon in 1887.
Courtesy Fremantle City Library Local History Collection: Photo No. 1942
In 1892 by a margin of only 7 votes he was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly at a by election for South Fremantle and was subsequently returned unopposed in 1894 and 1897 being effectively an Independent during those years.
In March 1901 Solomon contested the first federal election for Fremantle as one of three Free Trade candidates in a four cornered contest. He became one of four Jewish members of the first Commonwealth Parliament when he secured a comfortable absolute majority of the votes cast with a plurality of more than 1000 over his Labor opponent.
High St, Fremantle, looking east from the railway line, c 1901
Courtesy Fremantle City Library Local History Collection: Photo No. 1038
Another of his opponents William E Adcock, who had polled barely 100 votes in a total poll of more than 5000, lodged a petition against his return but the petition was ruled invalid on procedural grounds. Two and half years later in December 1903 Solomon lost by more than 1200 votes to Labor’s William Henry Carpenter.
In 1902 as president of the Hebrew Congregations and a trustee for the lot granted to the Congregation by the State Government in 1896 he laid the foundation stone for the Fremantle Synagogue which for several years was used also by the Perth Jewish congregation, and he also served as chairman of the Hospital and Cemetery Boards.
A cricket match in progress on Fremantle Oval, pre 1914. In the background is the Synagogue (1902).
Courtesy Fremantle City Library Local History Collection: Photo No. 1927
Twice married and widowed with a total of eleven children he died in Beaconsfield on 23 May 1909 and was buried in Fremantle Cemetery.
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