Samuel Gordon Daily (1823 – August 15, 1866) was an American politician from the

Nebraska Territory The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Nebraska. The Nebrask ...

. He was born in

Trimble County, Kentucky Trimble County is a county located in the north central part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Bedford. The county was founded in 1837 and is named for Robert Trimble. Trimble is no longer a prohibition or dry county. Trimble Co ...

. Daily moved with his parents to

Jefferson County, Indiana Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 33,147. The county seat is Madison. History Jefferson County was formed on February 1, 1811, from Dearborn and Clark Counties. It was named f ...

in 1824, where he attended the common schools and

Hanover College Hanover College is a private college in Hanover, Indiana, United States, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Founded in 1827 by Reverend John Finley Crowe, it is Indiana's oldest private college. The Hanover athletic teams participat ...

in Hanover, Indiana. Daily then studied law and was admitted to the bar in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

and commenced practice in

Madison, Indiana Madison is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. As of the 2010 United States Census its population was 11,967. Over 55,000 people live within of downtown Madison. Madison is the large ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate of the

Free Soil Party The Free Soil Party, also called the Free Democratic Party or the Free Democracy, was a political party in the United States from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. The party was focused o ...

for election to the

Indiana General Assembly The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Sena ...

; he then moved to Indianapolis and was engaged in the cooperage business. In 1857, he moved to Nebraska Territory, and settled in

Peru, Nebraska Peru is a city in Nemaha County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 648 at the 2020 census. Peru State College is located in Peru. History The first attempt to settle the community took place in 1853, by some residents of Peru, Illi ...

, in

Nemaha County, Nebraska Nemaha County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 7,074. Its county seat is Auburn, Nebraska, Auburn. In the Vehicle registration plates of Nebraska, Nebras ...

. Daily built a sawmill on the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

and in 1858 became a member of the Nebraska Territorial House of Representatives. In this position, he was one of the first in Nebraska to declare himself a Republican. Daily was a radical and outspoken abolitionist. He also introduced the first bill to abolish slavery in the Territory. The bill failed. Samuel Daily successfully contested as a Republican the election of Experience Estabrook to the Thirty-sixth

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

.Collections of the NSHS – Volume 19
/ref> The next election for the Thirty-seventh Congress was also contested. This time the opponent was J. Sterling Morton; the founder of

Arbor Day Arbor Day (or Arbour Day in some countries) is a Secularity, secular day of observance in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. Today, many countries observe such a holiday. Though usually observed in the spring, the date v ...

. Again, Daily won the contest. He was reelected to the Thirty-eighth Congress without a contest. He served in Congress from May 18, 1860, to March 3, 1865. In March 1865, he was appointed deputy collector of customs in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

at the special request of President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

. He died of yellow fever in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 15, 1866. He was buried in Mount Vernon Cemetery in Peru, Nebraska.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Daily, Samuel 1823 births 1866 deaths 19th-century American lawyers American abolitionists Deaths from yellow fever Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska Territory Hanover College alumni Indiana Democratic-Republicans Indiana lawyers Indiana Free Soilers Infectious disease deaths in Louisiana Louisiana Republicans Members of the Nebraska Territorial Legislature Nebraska Republicans People from Madison, Indiana People from Peru, Nebraska People from Trimble County, Kentucky United States Customs Service personnel 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives