Saul Solomon (1817-1892)

Lifespan: 1817 St Helena - 1892 Scotland [75]

Occupation: Journalist, publisher, politician.

Family: His parents were Joseph Solomon (c.1789 England - 1861 Cape Town) and Hannah Moss (1793 England - 1860 Cape Town). He married Georgina Margaret Thomson (1844 - 1933) in 1874 in Cape Town. They had five children.

Image source: Old Mutual

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Timeline

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Saul Solomon (1817-1892) was one of the most influential, progressive, and fascinating figures in 19th-century South African history. Often referred to as the "Cape Disraeli" or "the member for Cape Town," he was a powerhouse merchant, media mogul, and liberal statesman who fundamentally shaped the Cape Colony's politics.

Early life

Born into a Jewish family on the remote island of St Helena, his family eventually migrated to Cape Town in 1831.  As a young child sent to England for schooling, he contracted an illness (likely rickets or rheumatic fever) that permanently stunted the growth of his legs. He grew to a height of less than 1.2 metres (under 4 feet). Because he was too short to be seen over the parliamentary podium, he famously sat on a stack of books or a specially raised chair while delivering some of the most commanding speeches in South African history.

His uncle (Joseph's brother), Saul Solomon (1776-1852), was the first of the brothers to migrate to St Helena in the 1790s. He founded the island merchant house and served as a well-known figure during Napoleon's exile. Joseph later moved to the island to join the family business and opened a local inn.

"Our principal rivals as ship chandlers," he continued, "were Solomon, Moss and Gideon. The Solomons were the ancestors of Saul Solomon, the Cape Disraeli as they called him, who started the well-known South African family. They came to St. Helena fairly recently when Napoleon was there, but there was room for everyone." (Scott Alexander in c.1937)

Media and Business Empire

Before dominating politics, Solomon built an enormous commercial footprint in Cape Town.

• He started as an apprentice printer and eventually took over the firm to launch Saul Solomon & Co., which grew into the largest printing concern in the country and served as the official government printer.
•  In the 1850s, he bought into and eventually gained sole ownership of The Cape Argus, using the daily newspaper to champion liberal social and economic views.
• He was one of the original co-founders of Mutual Life (now known as Old Mutual), which remains one of South Africa’s largest financial and insurance institutions today.

Political Legacy and Cape Liberalism

Solomon entered the very first Cape Parliament in 1854 as the representative for Cape Town and held his seat for nearly three decades.

• He fought fiercely for human equality and famously opposed any law that drew distinctions based on race, class, or creed. He spearheaded the "Cape Franchise," which allowed non-racial voting rights based on property and income rather than skin colour.
• He routinely fought for fair wages for native labourers and stood against British attempts to forcefully confederate Southern African states, believing it would dilute the Cape's progressive legal protections.
• His political weight was so immense that when the Cape was granted "Responsible Government" (self-governance) in 1872, he was invited to become the colony's very first Prime Minister. He declined the role, preferring to influence policy cleanly from the benches as an independent multi-racial advocate.

Clarensville

Solomon's house at Clarensville. Unidentified photographer.⁵

Solomon lived in a grand private estate named Clarensville along the beachfront in Sea Point, Cape Town. His home hosted visiting international dignitaries and monarchs. The house was demolished and became the Clarensville Hotel, then Clarensville apartment block.

Clarensville apartments. Image source: Remax.

Later Life and Family

Failing health forced him to retire from public life in 1883. He moved to Scotland in 1888, where he passed away in 1892. His children and his wife, Georgiana, carried on his legacy, becoming prominent political activists, artists, and suffragettes in South Africa.

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Sources

1. Rosenthal, E. (c.1959) Shovel and Sieve. George Allen and Unwin: London.
2. Saul Solomon on Wikitree
3. Saul Solomon on Wikipedia
4. Saul Solomon on FAK
5. Cape Town Heritage Foundation on FB