Samuel Demeritt Felker (April 16, 1859November 14, 1932) was an American lawyer and
Democratic politician from
Rochester, New Hampshire
Rochester is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 32,492 at the 2020 census. In addition to the downtown area, the city contains the villages of East Rochester, New Hampshire, East Rochester, Gonic, New Ha ...
.
Family life
Felker was born to William H. and Deborah A. (Demeritt) Felker in
Rochester, New Hampshire
Rochester is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 32,492 at the 2020 census. In addition to the downtown area, the city contains the villages of East Rochester, New Hampshire, East Rochester, Gonic, New Ha ...
.
Felker married Mary J. Dudley
on June 26, 1900
in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
.
Felker was a member of the Congregationalist Church.
Education
Felker graduated from
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...
in 1882. In 1888 Felker earned a A.M. and a L.L.B from the
Boston University School of Law
Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an eli ...
.
Early political career
Felker was a member of the New Hampshire state constitutional convention of 1889,
he served in the
New Hampshire Senate
The New Hampshire Senate has been meeting since 1784. It is the upper house of the New Hampshire General Court, alongside the lower New Hampshire House of Representatives. It consists of 24 members representing Senate districts based on population ...
from 1890 to 1892, as the mayor of
Rochester, New Hampshire
Rochester is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 32,492 at the 2020 census. In addition to the downtown area, the city contains the villages of East Rochester, New Hampshire, East Rochester, Gonic, New Ha ...
in 1896 and 1897, and from 1909 to 1911 in the
New Hampshire House of Representatives
The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court, the bicameral legislature of the state of New Hampshire. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 204 legislative district ...
.
Governor of New Hampshire
In 1912 Felker ran as a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
for governor of New Hampshire, because no candidate received a majority of the vote, Felker was selected governor by the New Hampshire legislature.
Felker did not seek reelection in 1914, and after deliberating, decided against a bid for the state's U.S. Senate seat.
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
until 1930.
Death
Felker died at his home in Rochester on November 14, 1932.
Notes
External links
Felker at New Hampshire's Division of Historic Resources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Felker, Samuel D/
1859 births
1932 deaths
Democratic Party governors of New Hampshire
People from Rochester, New Hampshire
Democratic Party members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
Democratic Party New Hampshire state senators
Dartmouth College alumni
Boston University School of Law alumni