Solon Chase | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Maine House of Representatives from the Turner district | |
| In office 1862–1863 | |
| Preceded by | D.H. Teague |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1823 |
| Political party | Republican Greenback |
| Residence | Turner, Maine |
| Occupation | Farmer, Orchardist, Newspaper publisher |
Solon Chase (1823 – November 23, 1909) was an American farmer, orchardist, politician and newspaper publisher from Maine.[1] Chase served two single year terms in the Maine House of Representatives.[2] In 1873, an economic depression began and Chase joined the national Greenback Party. He is credited with founding the Greenback Party in Maine.[3] Chase sought to build an independent movement of farmers and workers through the Greenback Party and opposed electoral fusion with the Maine Democratic Party.
A farmer, Chase was nationally known for the catchphrase and stump speech 'them steers'. In 'them steers', he spoke of the tending his steers for the benefit of the financial elite, but not his town, county or state.[3] Upon his death, the New York Times, which was a Republican newspaper, remembered Chase for his unusual stump speeches, noting that "during the height of the greenback campaign, Chase stumped the country as far as the Middle West, driving a pair of steers hitched to a hayrack from the rear end of which he delivered his speeches."[4]
- ^ Appleby, Bruce (1960). Uncle Solon and Them Steers: Greenback Protect from Maine. Bowdoin College. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ^ "Legislators Biographical Search". Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ^ a b Leavitt, Samuel (1896). Our Money Wars: The Example and Warning of American Finance. Arena Pub. pp. 197–. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ^ Solon Chase, Old Greenbacker, Dead, New York Times, November 24, 1909, p. 9