Sam A. Kozer (October 19, 1871 – October 12, 1935) was an American politician who served as Oregon's Secretary of State from 1920 to 1928. He was a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

. Kozer also served as the Oregon's first Insurance Commissioner (1909–1911), Deputy Secretary of State (1911–1920), and Budget Director (1928–1931).

Early life

Sam A. Kozer was born in

Steelton, Pennsylvania Steelton is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States, southeast of Harrisburg. The population was 6,263 at the 2020 census. The borough is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. History After initi ...

, to George M. and Cathrine Kozer. He graduated high school in 1888. For money, Kozer would sell local news papers and do odd jobs. He remained in Pennsylvania through his late teen years working of the Pennsylvania Steel Company. After 18 months with the company, he was promoted to the

chemical laboratory A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physici ...

. At the age of 19, Kozer moved to Oregon where he proceeded to work odd jobs. His first two jobs were working on a farm and in a hotel in Gearhart, Oregon. On February 1, 1890, Kozer was hired as clerk in the

Clatsop County Clatsop County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,072. The county seat is Astoria. The county is named for the Clatsop tribe of Native Americans, who lived along the coast of ...

recorder's office. Over the next eight years, Kozer worked at multiple other offices in Clatsop County. In 1896, Kozer married Nannie Belcher of

Astoria, Oregon Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the northwest corne ...

. In 1898, Frank Dunbar, Kozer's boss in the recorder's office, was elected as

Secretary of State of Oregon The secretary of state of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in line of succession to the governor. The duties of the office are auditor of public accounts, ch ...

. Kozer was named chief clerk of Dunbar's office.

Political career

In 1909, Kozer was appointed to the position of Insurance Commissioner by Governor Frank W. Benson, making him the first person in Oregon to hold that office. Kozer's salary was

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

3,000 a year. He was named the Oregon's first

Deputy Secretary of State The deputy secretary of state of the United States is the principal deputy to the United States Secretary of State, secretary of state. The current deputy secretary of state is Wendy Ruth Sherman, serving since April 2021 under United States Secre ...

in 1911. He served under

Ben W. Olcott Ben Wilson Olcott (October 15, 1872July 21, 1952) was an American politician of the Republican Party who served as the 16th Governor of Oregon. Early life Olcott was born in Keithsburg, Illinois. He was educated at a Keithsburg elementary ...

in that position. On May 28, 1920, Kozer was appointed to the position of Secretary of State. He resigned that position on September 24, 1928.

Later life

After his resignation from the office of Secretary of State, Kozer was named Oregon's Budget Director. Kozer was the head of the auditing department of the state board of higher education. He died on October 12, 1935, in Portland, Oregon.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kozer, Sam A. 1871 births 1935 deaths Secretaries of state of Oregon Politicians from Dauphin County, Pennsylvania People from Clatsop County, Oregon Oregon Republicans State insurance commissioners of the United States 20th-century Oregon politicians