Samuel J. Randall

Samuel J. Randall

Samuel Jackson Randall (born October 10, 1828 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , †  April 13, 1890 in Washington DC ) was an American politician ( Democratic Party ) and from 1876 to 1881 the 33rd speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States .

Samuel Randall attended the public schools in Philadelphia as well as the University Academy , a private school. He embarked on a professional career as a businessman and gained his first political experience as a member of the Philadelphia City Council between 1852 and 1855. From 1858 to 1859 he was a member of the Pennsylvania Senate .

During the Civil War , Randall was first used in 1861 for three months as a soldier in the Philadelphia Municipal Cavalry . He later fought with the rank of captain during the Gettysburg campaign. Before and during the Battle of Gettysburg , he performed the duties of Provost Marshal .

Before that battle, Randall had been elected to the House of Representatives in Washington; his term of office began on March 4, 1863. In the following years he acted among other things as chairman of the grant committee , before he succeeded Michael C. Kerr, who died in office, as Speaker of the House on December 4, 1876 . In the years that followed, he was among the leading figures of the Democrats at the federal level and was considered as a Democratic presidential candidate in both 1880 and 1884 .

After the surprise defeat of the Democrats in the congressional election in 1880 , Randall had to hand over the office of Speaker to Republican J. Warren Keifer . He remained a member of the House of Representatives until his death in April 1890.

Web links

• Samuel J. Randall in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Samuel J. Randall in the database of Find a Grave (English)