1. Solomon Sibley studied law, was admitted to the Bar in 1795 and began a practice in Marietta, Ohio, which was then part of the Northwest Territory.
14 Facts About Solomon Sibley
1. 2.
Solomon Sibley soon moved to Cincinnati and then moved again to Detroit, Michigan, in 1797, shortly after the British handed over the fort in 1796.
3.
When he arrived, Solomon Sibley was one of only two lawyers in Detroit.
4.
Solomon Sibley was instrumental in passing the legislation in 1802 by which Detroit was incorporated as a town.
5.
Solomon Sibley was elected first as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and then under the first city charter of 1806 as the first mayor of Detroit.
6.
In December of 1811, following the Battle of Tippecanoe, Solomon Sibley chaired a public meeting which drafted a memorial to the President and Congress, concerning the defenses of Michigan Territory.
7.
Solomon Sibley was appointed as the first United States Attorney for the Michigan Territory by US President James Madison, serving from 1815 to 1823.
8.
When William Woodbridge resigned on August 9,1820, as territorial Delegate to the 16th United States Congress, Solomon Sibley was elected to fill the vacancy.
9.
Solomon Sibley won re-election to the 17th Congress, serving in total from November 20,1820, to March 3,1823.
10.
Solomon Sibley continued to serve as US Attorney, and thus held concurrent legislative and executive positions.
11.
Solomon Sibley was not a candidate for re-election to Congress in 1822.
12.
Solomon Sibley was chief justice of the court from 1827 until 1837, when he had to resign due to his deafness.
13.
Solomon Sibley married Sarah Whipple Sproat Solomon Sibley, the only daughter of Colonel Ebenezer Sproat, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War.
14.
Solomon Sibley died in Detroit and is interred in Elmwood Cemetery there.