Samuel D. Felker

Samuel D. Felker

Samuel Demeritt Felker (born April 16, 1859 in Rochester , New Hampshire , † November 14, 1932 ) was an American politician and governor of the state of New Hampshire from 1913 to 1915 .

Early years and political advancement

Samuel Felker attended Dartmouth College until 1882 . After a subsequent law degree at Boston University , he was admitted to the bar in 1887. He then began to work in this profession in Rochester. Felker was a member of the Democratic Party and the place Rochester was a stronghold of the Republicans . Nevertheless, he managed to assert himself in this city. In 1889 he was a member of an assembly to revise the New Hampshire Constitution. From 1891 to 1892 he was a member of the State Senate . He was mayor of his hometown Rochester in 1896 and 1897, and from 1899 to 1913 he also served as a lawyer for that town. Eventually he was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1909 , where he remained until 1911.

New Hampshire Governor

In 1912, Samuel Felker was nominated by his party as a candidate for the upcoming gubernatorial election. In these elections he was able to benefit from internal party problems among the Republicans. Its incumbent Governor Robert P. Bass had not supported the party's candidate, William Howard Taft , but former President Theodore Roosevelt in the presidential election . The governor then fell out of favor with parts of his party, which divided the Republicans. Felker and his party could benefit from this. Even so, the election result was so close that the legislature had to review the election results before declaring Felker the winner. That was the first election victory of a Democrat in gubernatorial elections in New Hampshire since 1874. This could serve as governor between January 2, 1913 and January 1, 1915. During this time, many progressive measures were introduced and many key positions in the administration were filled. A memorial to former President Franklin Pierce was also erected at that time. Otherwise Felker's term of office passed without any particular incident.

Another résumé

At the end of his term of office, Felker decided not to run again. Instead, he was appointed a judge in a Rochester city court. He held this office until 1930. Samuel Felker died on November 14, 1932. He was married to Mary J. Dudley.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 3, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• Samuel Felker in the National Governors Association (English)
• Biography of New Hampshire (English)
• Samuel D. Felker in the database of Find a Grave (English)