The City of Tampa’s Archives and Records Division was pleased to receive a donation from a descendant of former Tampa Mayor Frederick A. Salomonson. After he immigrated to Florida from the Netherlands, Mayor Salomonson served for three non-consecutive terms from 1893-1894, 1895-1896, and 1904-1906. Yet prior to this donation, we did not have any items belonging to him in our collection.

We knew he had his portrait painted in a similar style to other former mayors, but unlike some of the others, we did not have this portrait. Thanks to a recent visit to Tampa, Salomonson’s descendent, Fredric Altman, learned about our archives from Lonnie Herman of Ybor City Walking Tours. Mr. Altman subsequently donated Mayor Salomonson’s portrait, sword, and cane. These items will now be preserved as part of our permanent collection and displayed at Tampa’s City Hall prior to the end of the year.