Samuel W. Roper (April 10, 1895 – March 1, 1986) was an American

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...

official and Imperial Wizard of the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

(KKK). Roper was an

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

police officer and the second Director of the

Georgia Bureau of Investigation The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is the state bureau of investigation of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is an independent, statewide agency that provides assistance to Georgia's criminal justice system in the areas of criminal investi ...

. After leaving law enforcement in 1949, Roper succeeded Samuel Green as Imperial Wizard of the KKK, and held that position until 1950.Staff report (August 28, 1949). Ex-Chief of Georgia G-men is new head of Ku Klux Klan. ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' His successor was

Eldon Edwards Eldon Lee Edwards (June 8, 1909 – August 1, 1960) was an American Ku Klux Klan leader. Biography Edwards was an automobile paint sprayer from Atlanta, Georgia, and rebuilt the Klan beginning in 1953. In his book ''The Informant: The FBI, the ...

.Staff report (March 4, 1986). Samuel W. Roper, 90, was second director of GBI in early 1940s. ''

Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...

'' He has also been directly implicated in the September 12, 1936, lynching and murder of Thomas Finch in Atlanta, Georgia. Roper moved to Florida in 1972 and was a resident of

Chiefland, Florida Chiefland is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,316 at the 2020 census, up from 2,245 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. History A village of the Timucua ...

at the time of his death. He died of

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

at the

Veterans Administration Hospital Veterans' health care in the United States is separated geographically into 19 regions (numbered 1, 2, 4–10, 12 and 15–23)In January 2002, the Veterans Health Administration announced the merger of VISNs 13 and 14 to create a new, combined n ...

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...

on March 1, 1986.

References

External links

Wall of Wizards
via Ku Klux Klan 1895 births 1986 deaths Leaders of the Ku Klux Klan Deaths from kidney failure in Florida American Ku Klux Klan members 20th-century American murderers Activists from Atlanta Atlanta Police Department officers Ku Klux Klan in Georgia (U.S. state) {{US-activist-stub Police misconduct in the United States United States Army personnel of World War I