Ezekiel Silas Sampson (December 6, 1831 – October 7, 1892) was a lawyer, prosecutor,

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

officer, judge, and two-term

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Congressman from

Iowa's 6th congressional district Iowa's 6th congressional district is a former U.S. congressional district in the State of Iowa. It existed in elections from 1862 to 1992, when it was lost due to Iowa's population growth rate being lower than that of the country as a whole. T ...

Early life

Born in

Huron County, Ohio Huron County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,565. Its county seat is Norwalk. The county was created in 1809 and later organized in 1815. Huron County is included in the Norwalk, OH ...

, Sampson moved to

Keokuk County, Iowa Keokuk County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 10,033. The county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil p ...

, in 1843 where he attended public schools as a child. He later attended Howe’s Academy and Knox College, studied law and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1856, commencing practice in

Sigourney, Iowa Sigourney ( ) is a city in Keokuk County, Iowa, Keokuk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,004 at the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Keokuk County, Iowa, Keokuk County. Keokuk County Court ...

. He was

prosecuting attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal tria ...

of Keokuk County from 1856 to 1858.

Career

At the outbreak of the

, Sampson enlisted in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the

5th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 5th Iowa Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. History The ten companies that formed the 5th Iowa were ordered into quarters by Governor of Iowa Samuel Kirkwood at different da ...

in 1861 and was later promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

of the same regiment, serving as so until he was mustered out of service in 1864. After the war, he resumed practicing law in Sigourney. He was a member of the

Iowa Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly, United States. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . ...

in 1866 and was judge of the sixth district of Iowa from 1867 to 1875. In 1874, Sampson was elected a Republican to represent Iowa's 6th congressional district in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

. Near the end of his service in the

44th United States Congress The 44th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. ) , image_sk ...

, he was re-elected in 1876 to a second term, and served in the

45th United States Congress The 45th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1877, ...

. When running for a third term in 1878, he was defeated in the general election by

Greenback Party The Greenback Party (known successively as the Independent Party, the National Independent Party and the Greenback Labor Party) was an American political party with an anti-monopoly ideology which was active between 1874 and 1889. The party ran ...

candidate (and future presidential candidate) James B. Weaver. Sampson served in Congress from March 4, 1875 to March 3, 1879.

Death

Sampson resumed practicing law until his death in Sigourney on October 7, 1892. He is interred at West Cemetery in

References

External links

Retrieved on 2008-02-15 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sampson, Ezekiel S. 1831 births 1896 deaths Iowa state court judges Republican Party Iowa state senators District attorneys in Iowa Union Army officers People from Huron County, Ohio People from Sigourney, Iowa People of Iowa in the American Civil War Knox College (Illinois) alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American judges