David Salomons
Sir David Salomons, 1st Baronet | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date London, England |
| Died | July 18, 1873 (aged 75) |
| Occupation(s) | Banker, lawyer, politician |
| Years active | 19th century |
| Known for | First Jewish Sheriff of the City of London, Lord Mayor of London, first Jewish magistrate in England, Jewish civil rights advocate |
Sir David Salomons, 1st Baronet (22 November 1797 – 18 July 1873) was a distinguished 19th-century figure who championed Jewish civil rights in the United Kingdom. He holds the distinction of being the first Jewish individual to serve as Sheriff of the City of London and later ascended to the position of Lord Mayor of London.
Early life
Born in London to Levy Salomons, who had ties to St Mary Axe and Frant, Sussex, and Matilda de Metz from Leyden (the couple married in 1795), he followed in his father’s footsteps by entering commerce within the City of London. There, he established himself as a prosperous banker. Salomons was instrumental in founding the London and Westminster Bank (presently part of NatWest) and held membership in the London Stock Exchange.
In 1835, he was chosen as one of the sheriffs, but could not officially take office because the required Christian oath prevented him from qualifying. The enactment of the Sheriffs' Declaration Act that same year enabled him to fulfill the role. By 1839, he was appointed High Sheriff of Kent, managing his Broomhill estate near Royal Tunbridge Wells, which today is recognized as the Salomons Museum.
After being elected an Alderman in December 1835, Salomons again encountered obstacles due to oath restrictions and was disqualified. Following modifications introduced by the Religious Opinions Relief Act, which altered the oath requirements, he was re-elected in 1847 and went on to become Lord Mayor of London in 1855. Professionally trained as a lawyer and called to the bar in 1849, he became England’s inaugural Jewish magistrate. Additionally, in 1847, he participated on the committee for the British Relief Association.
Parliament
Salomons ran as a candidate for the Liberal Party representing the Greenwich constituency in 1851 and secured election on 28 June after an earlier defeat in 1847.
However, his refusal to swear the full Christian oath barred him from officially taking his seat; instead, he omitted certain phrases and attempted to participate. After being ordered twice to withdraw, he returned on 21 July 1851, defended his right based on his electoral mandate, but was forcibly removed by the Sergeant-at-Arms and penalized with a £500 fine for unlawful voting. He subsequently lost his seat in the 1852 election.
Following reforms enacted in 1858, which permitted Jewish members to take their seats legally, Lionel de Rothschild became the first Jewish MP to do so. Salomons regained his seat representing Greenwich during the 1859 general election and maintained it until his passing in 1873.
His estate at Broomhill, situated north of Tunbridge Wells, is now maintained as the Salomons Museum.
Family
In 1825, Salomons married Jeanette, daughter of Solomon Cohen of Canonbury House and Hannah Samuel. Her aunts Judith and Henriette were wed to Sir Moses Montefiore and Nathan Mayer Rothschild, respectively. After Jeanette’s death in 1867, he remarried in 1872 to Cecilia, daughter of Samuel Moses Samuel. On 26 October 1869, he was granted a baronetcy linked to Broom Hill within the parish of Tonbridge, Kent, as well as Great Cumberland Place in Middlesex.
Sir David Salomons died on 18 July 1873 and was interred at the Jewish Cemetery at West Ham. Having no offspring from either marriage, his title and estate were inherited by his nephew David Lionel Salomons, whom he had raised following the death of his brother, Philip Salomons.