Samuel G. King

Samuel George King (May 2, 1816 - March 21, 1899) was an American politician. He served as the 73rd mayor of Philadelphia from 1881 to 1884. He was a member of the Democratic Party and was the last Democrat elected as mayor until 1952.[1]

Samuel George King
73rd Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
In office April 4, 1881 – April 7, 1887
Preceded by	William S. Stokley
Succeeded by	William Burns Smith
Personal details
Born	May 2, 1816 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	March 21, 1899 (aged 82)
Political party	Democratic

Biography

King was born on May 2, 1816 in Philadelphia. In 1881, as a member of the Select Council, he ran for the mayoralty of Philadelphia against three-term incumbent William S. Stokley. The Philadelphia Republican establishment had not accepted Stokley as one of their own and prominent reformists such as Rudolph Blankenburg opposed Stokley for corruption.[2]

After the influential Committee of One Hundred voted to endorse Stokley, Blankenburg and John Paul Verree resigned their memberships.[3] The Committee reversed itself and endorsed King in the election. He defeated Stokley by a margin of nearly 5,800 votes.

In 1884, King ran for a second term, but Republican William Burns Smith defeated him by more than 9,000 votes.[4]

King died on March 21, 1899 and is buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery.[5]

References

1. "Worst 18th-Century Job: Philadelphia Mayor". Philadelphia Magazine. 2011-11-08.
2. Silcox, Harry (1989). Philadelphia Politics from the Bottom Up: The Life of Irishman William McMullen, 1824-1901. p. 98.
3. McCaffery, Peter (2010-11-01). When Bosses Ruled Philadelphia: The Emergence of the Republican Machine, 1867-1933. p. 68.
4. "Mayors of the City of Philadelphia". City of Philadelphia. Retrieved 2018-06-13.
5. "Samuel George King". Retrieved 2018-06-13.