 Salisbury married once to Adele Trowbridge, whom he divorced on December 6, 1913 in an uncontested court decision with no alimony.Salisbury was appointed to the United States Naval Academy from Missouri in 1874, graduating on June 10, 1879.He served as an Engineering Duty Officer from 1881 to 1892, during this time, he served as a naval engineer aboard the USS "Chicago" in 1889.