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	(1816-05-02)May 2, 1816 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	March 21, 1899(1899-03-21) (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 reformist Republicans 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.

Political offices
Preceded by William S. Stokley	Mayor of Philadelphia 1881–1884	Succeeded by William Burns Smith