Born in New York City in 1826, Adolphus Simeon Solomons served for two decades as director of the Columbia Hospital and sat on the executive boards of several health institutions. As a devout Jew dedicated to the welfare and survival of the Jewish people, he helped found New York City's Jews' Hospital, now known as Mt. Sinai Hospital. He also supported rabbinical and Jewish teacher training at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he briefly served as acting president.

On May 21, 1881, Solomons and Clara Barton co-founded the American Red Cross. He was Barton's second-in-command for 12 years, representing the American branch at International Red Cross conventions in Geneva. In 1887, he was elected the convention's vice-president. Today, Solomons' Red Cross involvement is not widely known, however, Barton acknowledged his valuable work then, referring to him as "my good vice-president and kind counselor."