Sir William Frederick Samson (12 January 1892 – 6 February 1974) was a businessman and long-term

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Fremantle, Western Australia.

Biography

Samson was born at Fremantle, the second son of Michael Samson, and his wife Mary, née Murphy. He was educated at Christian Brothers College, Fremantle and later studied engineering at the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany and various other facilitie ...

. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in 1915, but was declared medically unfit. In 1919 he contracted

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case wa ...

. He joined the

Metropolitan Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Department Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

and worked as a surveyor between 1918 and 1930. Samson established himself as a real-estate agent in 1931. His house, a well-known Fremantle landmark called "Samson House" was designed by Sir

Talbot Hobbs Lieutenant General Sir Joseph John Talbot Hobbs, (24 August 1864 – 21 April 1938) was an Australian architect and First World War general. Early life Hobbs was born in London, the son of Joseph and his wife Frances Ann Hobbs (née Wilson). E ...

and built by his father in 1888. Samson inherited the house (which he had been born in) in 1935. He lived there his entire life and willed it to the

Western Australian Museum The Western Australian Museum is a statutory authority within the Culture and the Arts Portfolio, established under the ''Museum Act 1969''. The museum has six main sites. The state museum, now known as WA Museum Boola Bardip, officially re-ope ...

. Also in 1935, Samson married Daphne Alice Marks. The couple had no children. Following in the footsteps of his father and uncle, Frederick Samson was elected to the Fremantle City Council in 1936. He was elected to the mayoral position unopposed in 1951 and remained there until his retirement in May 1972. Samson was a champion of his beloved Fremantle, and much like his mayoral predecessor Sir Frank Gibson, he campaigned vigorously for the preservation of numerous heritage buildings in and around the port city, including the

Fremantle Arts Centre The Fremantle Arts Centre is a multi-arts organisation based in a historic building complex on Ord Street in Fremantle, Western Australia. The heritage-listed building complex was built using convict labour between 1861 and 1868 and was used ...

. In addition to civic duties, he was a successful businessman and served on numerous Boards and committees. In 1946 he helped to form the Home Building Society and was chairman from 1951 to 1974. He served as a councillor of the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia from 1949 to 1964 and was a board member at the State Electricity Commission from 1954 to 1974. Samson was knighted in 1962 and was appointed the first honorary

freeman Freeman, free men, or variant, may refer to: * a member of the Third Estate in medieval society (commoners), see estates of the realm * Freeman, an apprentice who has been granted freedom of the company, was a rank within Livery companies * Free ...

of Fremantle in 1969. As a long term civic leader, Samson had a number of places named after him: * The Fremantle suburb of

Samson, Western Australia Samson is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia in the City of Fremantle The City of Fremantle is a local government area in the south of Perth, Western Australia. The City covers an area of , and lies about southwest of the Perth central ...

* Sir Frederick Samson Park, a native bushland in the suburb's centre

Family

Samson was the grandson of an early settler of Western Australia,

Lionel Samson Lionel Samson (1799-15 March 1878) was an early Swan River Colony settler and businessman whose firm, Lionel Samson & Son, is the second oldest continuing family business in Australia. It is likely his father was Michael Samson, "a member of one o ...

(1799–1878). His father

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

was Lord Mayor of Fremantle from 1905 to 1907, as was his uncle (Michael's brother) from 1892 to 1893 and who was also named William Frederick Samson.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samson, Frederick 1892 births 1974 deaths Mayors of Fremantle People from Fremantle Australian people of English-Jewish descent Burials at Fremantle Cemetery University of Western Australia alumni 20th-century Australian politicians Western Australian local councillors