Samuel Davis Wilson (August 31, 1881 – August 19, 1939) was an American politician; he served as the 86th
Mayor of Philadelphia
The mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Philadelphia. The current mayor of Philadelphia is Jim Kenney.
History
The first mayor of Philadelphia, ...
from 1936 until his death in 1939.
Early life and career
Wilson was born in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
in 1881. He was educated at the
Phillips Exeter Academy
(not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God)
, location = 20 Main Street
, city = Exeter, New Hampshire
, zipcode ...
.
Career
He moved to
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
in 1905 and by 1927 found work as an assistant to the city controller Will B. Hadley. This brought him in contact with Philadelphia political community. In 1930, he worked as a campaign manager for the Republican
Gifford Pinchot’s gubernatorial campaign. This elevated his profile, leading him to a successful candidacy for city controller in 1931. He explored a run for the governor’s mansion in 1931 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 ...
but dropped out and supported
George Earle, who won the election.
He entered the
1935 race for mayor as a Republican after the Democratic Party selected
John B. Kelly Sr., a former Olympic rower and the father of
Grace Kelly. With the unusually strong challenge from Kelly, Wilson’s campaign at one point resorted to anti-Semitic rhetoric, accusing Kelly of being beholden to Jewish interests. Wilson won the election, but by only 45,000 votes, a strong result for the Democrats in the reliably Republican city.
[
As mayor, he clashed with Republican leaders and took on the ]Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company
The Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC) was the main public transit operator in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1940 to 1968. A private company, PTC was the successor to the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company (PRT), in operation since 19 ...
and UGI, the city’s gas operator. In 1937, he re-registered to vote as non-partisan, breaking with the Republican party.[
He ran in the Democratic primary election for ]United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
against Governor Earle. He had publicly blamed Earle for wiretaps on his secretary’s phone.[
Wilson’s actions cost him much of his political support. The district attorney of Philadelphia secured an indictment against him for failure to stop widespread gambling in the city, but a judge dismissed the charges.][
He became ill in 1939 and sent a letter to the City Council to have the council president assume his duties on August 11. He died on August 19, 1939 after a stroke. George Connell succeeded him as mayor and served out the rest of his term.]
References
List of mayors of Philadelphia
at Philadelphia Department of Records
Further reading
* John P. Rossi, "Philadelphia's Forgotten Mayor: S. Davis Wilson", ''Pennsylvania History'', Vol. 51, No. 2 (April, 1984), pp. 154–166.
External links
at The Political Graveyard
The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations of ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Samuel Davis
1881 births
1939 deaths
Mayors of Philadelphia
Politicians from Boston
Pennsylvania Republicans
Pennsylvania Democrats
20th-century American politicians
Phillips Exeter Academy alumni