Charles J. Solomon

Charles Julius Solomon[1] (March 12, 1906 – May 1, 1975)[2][3] was an American bridge player, administrator, writer, and sponsor. He was Inducted into the ACBL Hall of Fame in 2000.[4]

Charles J. Solomon
Nationality	United States
Spouse(s)	Margery Mastbaum Golder
Family	Jules Mastbaum (father-in-law)

Biography

Solomon was from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and an attorney, though he eventually left law to play bridge full-time. In 1948, he married Margery "Peggy" Golder (née Mastbaum), the daughter of philanthropist Jules Mastbaum. Peggy was recently widowed following the death of her first husband, U.S. Congressman Benjamin M. Golder (1891–1946) and was looking for someone to teach her the game; he soon became her bridge mentor and eventually her husband.[5][2][3] She became the third female ACBL Life Master and they were the subjects of a newspaper feature in 1960, "The Solomons: Top Married Bridge Team".[6]

In world championship teams-of-four competition, Solomon was a member of the 6-man USA squad in the 1956 Bermuda Bowl. Not yet a tournament, it was a long head-to-head match between representatives of North America and Europe, won by France.

Charles Solomon died in Philadelphia, aged 69.[5][3] He was survived by his wife and two stepdaughters, Joan Golder Ash and Norma Golder Brunswick.[7][8][9]

Published books

• No Trump Bidding (Woodstown, NJ: Seven Stars Press, 1947), 48 pp. – "Rev., enl. ed." –OCLC 44909721
• Slam Bidding and Point Count, Solomon and Bennett L. Disbrow (Philadelphia: Macrae Smith, 1951), 281 pp., LCCN 51-9194
• How to Bid and What to Lead, Solomon and Disbrow (Macrae Smith, 1953), 128 pp., LCCN 52-11860
• Hold Our Bridge Hands, Solomon and Bert Wilson (Philadelphia: Lefax Publ., 1969), 140 pp., OCLC 2556583

Bridge accomplishments

Honors

• ACBL Hall of Fame, 2000[4]

Wins

• North American Bridge Championships (14)
  • Master Individual (1) 1947 [10]
  • von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs (1) 1946 [11]
  • Wernher Open Pairs (1) 1943 [12]
  • Marcus Cup (1) 1967
  • Mitchell Board-a-Match Teams (2) 1952, 1965 [13]
  • Chicago Mixed Board-a-Match (3) 1949, 1950, 1959 [14]
  • Reisinger (4) 1937, 1938, 1939, 1944 [15]
  • Spingold (1) 1955 [16]

Runners-up

• North American Bridge Championships
  • Master Individual (1) 1943 [10]
  • von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs (1) 1938 [11]
  • Rockwell Mixed Pairs (1) 1961 [17]
  • Silodor Open Pairs (2) 1959, 1968 [18]
  • Hilliard Mixed Pairs (1) 1943 [19]
  • Nail Life Master Open Pairs (1) 1963 [20]
  • Open Pairs (1928-1962) (1) 1956 [21]
  • Vanderbilt (2) 1954, 1958 [22]
  • Mitchell Board-a-Match Teams (2) 1955, 1960 [13]
  • Chicago Mixed Board-a-Match (2) 1939, 1940 [14]
  • Reisinger (2) 1953, 1959 [15]
  • Spingold (1) 1939 [16]

References

1. U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
2. "Solomon, Charles". Hall of Fame. ACBL. Retrieved 2014-11-09.
3. "Bridge: Game Owes Much to Gifts By Late Charles Solomon". Alan Truscott. The New York Times. May 7, 1975. Page 40.
4. "Induction by Year". Hall of Fame. ACBL. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
5. Dubin, Murrary (May 2, 1975). "Charles J. Solomon, 69, Renowned Bridge Expert". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 37.
6. "Peggy Solomon". ACBL Bridge Beat 100. September 6, 2012. ACBL. Retrieved 2014-11-09.
7. Truscott, Alan (May 2, 1975). "Charles J. Solomon Dies at 69; Won 7 National Bridge Titles". The New York Times.
8. "Norma Golder Brunswick". The Philadelphia Inquirer. February 15, 2019.
9. "Joan Golder Ash". The Philadelphia Inquirer. March 9, 2016.
10. "List of Previous Winners". American Contract Bridge League.
11. "von Zedtwitz LM Previous Winners" (PDF). American Contract Bridge League. 2014-06-18. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
12. "Wernher Open Pairs Winners" (PDF). American Contract Bridge League. 2014-07-22. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
13. "Mitchell BAM Winners" (PDF). American Contract Bridge League. 2013-12-01. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
14. "Mixed BAM Previous Winners" (PDF). American Contract Bridge League. 2014-07-24. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
15. "Reisinger Winners" (PDF). American Contract Bridge League. 2013-12-06. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
16. "Spingold Previous Winners" (PDF). American Contract Bridge League. 2014-07-21. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
17. "Rockwell Mixed Pairs Previous Winners" (PDF). American Contract Bridge League. 2014-03-25. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
18. "Silodor Open Pairs Previous Winners" (PDF). American Contract Bridge League. 2014-07-27. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
19. "Mixed Pairs Previous Winners". American Contract Bridge League.
20. "Life Master Open Pairs Winners" (PDF). American Contract Bridge League. 2013-11-29. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
21. "Open Pairs Previous Winners". American Contract Bridge League.
22. "Vanderbilt Previous Winners" (PDF). American Contract Bridge League. 2014-03-24. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-10-17.

External links

• Citation at the ACBL Hall of Fame
• "International record for Charles J. Solomon". World Bridge Federation.
• Charles J. Solomon at Library of Congress Authorities, with 2 catalog records
• Charles J. Solomon at Find a Grave