Samuel D. Felker

American politician

Samuel Demeritt Felker


54th Governor of New Hampshire
In office January 2, 1913 – January 1, 1915
Preceded by	Robert P. Bass
Succeeded by	Rolland H. Spaulding
Mayor of Rochester, New Hampshire
In office 1896–1897
Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
In office 1909–1911
Member of the New Hampshire Senate
In office 1890–1892
Judge of the Rochester, N.H. Municipal Court
In office July 20, 1915 – 1930

Personal details
Born	(1859-04-16)April 16, 1859 Rochester, New Hampshire
Died	November 14, 1932(1932-11-14) (aged 73) Rochester, New Hampshire
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Mary J. Dudley (m. 1900)
Alma mater	Dartmouth College, 1882; Boston University School of Law, L.L.B., A.M., 1887
Profession	Lawyer

Samuel Demeritt Felker (April 16, 1859 – November 14, 1932) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Rochester, New Hampshire.

Family life

Felker was born to William H. and Deborah A. (Demeritt) Felker in Rochester, New Hampshire.^[1]^[2] Felker married Mary J. Dudley^[2] on June 26, 1900^[3] in Buffalo, New York.^[4] Felker was a member of the Congregationalist Church.^[3]^[4]

Education

Felker graduated from Dartmouth College in 1882. In 1888 Felker earned a A.M. and a L.L.B from the Boston University School of Law.^[2]

Early political career

Felker was a member of the New Hampshire state constitutional convention of 1889,^[3] he served in the New Hampshire Senate from 1890 to 1892, as the mayor of Rochester, New Hampshire in 1896 and 1897, and from 1909 to 1911 in the New Hampshire House of Representatives.^[2]

Governor of New Hampshire

In 1912 Felker ran as a Democrat for governor of New Hampshire, because no candidate received a majority of the vote, Felker was selected governor by the New Hampshire legislature.^[2] Felker did not seek reelection in 1914, and after deliberating, decided against a bid for the state's U.S. Senate seat.^[5]^[6]

Judge of the Rochester Municipal Court

Felker's gubernatorial successor, Rolland H. Spaulding, appointed Felker as Judge of the Rochester Municipal Court, a position Felker held from July 20, 1915^[4] until 1930.^[2]

Death

Felker died at his home in Rochester on November 14, 1932.^[2]^[7]

Notes

^ Bar Association of the State of New Hampshire (1933), Proceedings of the Bar Association of the State of New Hampshire, Concord, New Hampshire: Bar Association of the State of New Hampshire, p. 179
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Capace, Nancy (2000), Encyclopedia of New Hampshire, Santa Barbara, California: Somerset Publishers, Inc., p. 130
^ ^a ^b ^c Sobel, Robert (1978), Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978, Volume 3, Westport, Connecticut: Meckler Publishing, p. 987
^ ^a ^b ^c Marquis, Albert Nelson (1915), Who's Who in New England, Second Edition, Chicago, Illinois: A.N. Marquis & Co., p. 396
^ Manual for the General Court. Concord, NewHampshire: John B. Clarke Co. 1915.
^ "Why the Governor Is Not In". Nashua Telegraph. August 15, 1914. p. 4. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
^ "Samuel D. Felker, Ex-Governor, Dies". The Boston Globe. Rochester, New Hampshire. November 15, 1932. p. 17. Retrieved February 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

Felker at New Hampshire's Division of Historic Resources

Party political offices
Preceded by Clarence E. Carr	Democratic nominee for Governor of New Hampshire 1912	Succeeded by Albert W. Noone
Political offices
Preceded by Robert P. Bass	Governor of New Hampshire 1913–1915	Succeeded by Rolland H. Spaulding