Dictionary of National Biography, 1927 supplement/Solomon, Richard
SOLOMON, Sir RICHARD (1850–1913), South African statesman, was born in Cape Town 18 October 1850, the third son of the Rev. Edward Solomon, an Independent missionary, by his wife, Jessie Matthews, sister of James Matthews, architect and at one time lord provost of Aberdeen. He was educated at the Lovedale mission and Bedford public school, Cape Colony, and at the South African College, Cape Town. He entered Peterhouse, Cambridge, in 1871, passed out as twenty-third wrangler in 1875, and became mathematical lecturer at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. After being called to the bar at the Inner Temple in 1879, he returned home to practise at Grahamstown, Cape Colony.
As became a nephew of Saul Solomon (editor of the Cape Argus and champion of the natives in the Cape parliament) he took a keen interest in native affairs and served on the Cape native law commission of 1882. In 1886 he was legal adviser to the royal commission which inquired into the administration of Mauritius. Three years later he settled at Kimberley, and secured the De Beers retainer. In 1893, after having been appointed Q.C., he entered the Cape house of assembly as independent member for Kimberley. At the elections of 1894 he was defeated by a supporter of Cecil Rhodes, but he was returned once more for Kimberley at a by-election at the end of 1896. In 1898 he became attorney-general in the ministry of William Philip Schreiner [q.v.] as member for Tembuland, and he supported his chief in the policy of punishing Cape rebels, which brought about the downfall of the Cabinet in June 1900.
Early in 1901 Solomon was appointed legal adviser to the Transvaal government. He took part in the negotiations which led to the peace of Vereeniging, and was created K.C.M.G. As attorney-general of the Transvaal from June 1902 onwards, he exercised his great powers of persuasion, his moderating influence, his industry, and his knowledge of affairs in the work of reconstruction. He revised the Transvaal native labour regulations, presided over the gold laws commission, and reorganized the statute book and the administration of justice. He represented the South African colonies at the Delhi durbar of 1903, and twice served as acting-lieutenant-governor of the Transvaal. He was elected an honorary fellow of Peterhouse in 1904, and in the next year was awarded the K.C.B.
In 1906 Solomon helped to draft the letters patent by which responsible government was established in the Transvaal, and was much talked of as the future prime minister. He resigned the attorney-generalship, and stood for Pretoria South with the support of Het Volk (the party of Louis Botha [q.v.]), but was unexpectedly defeated by the progressive candidate (1907). He refused a post in Botha's ministry, and became agent-general for the Transvaal in London, where from 1910 onwards he was high commissioner for the Union of South Africa. He was created G.C.M.G. in 1911. He died unexpectedly in London, after a very short illness, 10 November 1913.
Solomon married in 1881 Mary Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev. John Walton, Wesleyan minister, of Grahamstown, and had one daughter.
[The Times, 11 November 1913; Cape Times, 11 November 1913 and 14 November 1923; private information. Portrait, Royal Academy Pictures, 1922.]