Henry Floyd Samuels (1869–1948) was an American attorney, politician, mining executive, and farmer. He was the leading spokesman of the Idaho chapter of the

Non-Partisan League The Nonpartisan League (NPL) was a left-wing political party founded in 1915 in North Dakota by Arthur C. Townley, a former organizer (party), organizer for the Socialist Party of America. On behalf of small farmers and merchants, the Nonpartisan ...

and later the Idaho Progressive Party in the 1910s and 1920s.

Early life and education

H. F. Samuels was born in

Washington County, Mississippi Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,922. Its county seat is Greenville. The county is named in honor of the first president of the United States, George Washingt ...

on April 4, 1869. Named Henry Floyd, he always went by his initials to distinguish himself from his father, and later his son, who had the same name. His family moved to

Crawford County, Indiana Crawford County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 10,526. The county seat is English, Indiana, English. Geography According to the 2010 census, the county has a total are ...

when he was three years old, and he attended high school at Leavenworth. He studied law at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, and was admitted to the bar in Indiana in February 1892. He later earned a master of law degree at Columbian University (now

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

Mining and political career

He became a multi-millionaire in the

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

industry in

Idaho Panhandle The Idaho panhandle—locally known as North Idaho, Northern Idaho, or simply the Panhandle—is a salient region of the U.S. state of Idaho encompassing the state's 10 northernmost counties: Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, ...

. Originally a Republican, with Non-Partisan League support, in 1918, Samuels won the Democratic nomination for

governor of Idaho A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' may ...

despite strong opposition from the Democratic Party leadership. However, Samuels was defeated by Republican D. W. Davis. After Idaho repealed the

direct primary Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pri ...

in 1919, the Non-Partisan League formed the Idaho Progressive Party. Idaho Progressives nominated Samuels as their gubernatorial candidate in 1922 and 1924. Although Samuels beat the Democratic candidates in both elections, he was ultimately defeated in both by Republican Charles C. Moore. In 1926 Samuels won the Progressive

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

nomination, again bested the Democratic nominee ( John F. Nugent), but lost to the Republican ( Frank R. Gooding). He retired from public life after the demise of the Idaho Progressive Party in 1928. He owned a hotel, the Samuels Hotel, built with profits from mining.

Personal life

Samuels married Iona Snyder on December 25, 1892, and they had one daughter. On February 27, 1905, he remarried to Ada Jenkins, and they had a son and a daughter. He died in

Sequim, Washington Sequim ( ) is a city in Clallam County, Washington, United States. It is located on the north side of the Olympic Peninsula between the Dungeness River and Sequim Bay. The city is south of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and north of the Olympic Mount ...

on February 23, 1948.

References

The Idaho Nonpartisan League
1869 births 1948 deaths George Washington University Law School alumni Idaho Democrats Idaho lawyers Idaho Republicans Nonpartisan League politicians University of Michigan Law School alumni {{Idaho-politician-stub