Samuel Johnson Hilburn (May 30, 1869 – September 27, 1943) was a lawyer and state legislator in Florida. He served in the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

and the

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

Life and education

He was born May 30, 1869, in

Gainesville, Arkansas Gainesville is an unincorporated community in Greene County, Arkansas, United States. Once a thriving settlement and county seat, little remains today of the former community. History In 1840, the county voted to move the county seat to this lo ...

, and spent his early life on a farm. Hilburn's brother was Rev. J. P. Hilburn. After high school he went on to obtain a teaching certificate and taught for three years before enrolling at Centenary College. He obtained his law degree from

Cumberland University Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee. It was founded in 1842. The campus's current historic buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896. History 1842-1861 The university was founded by the Cumberland ...

in 1894 and was admitted to the bar in

Wilson County, Tennessee Wilson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is in Middle Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 147,737. Its county seat is Lebanon. The largest city is Mt. Juliet. Wilson County is part of the Nashville-Davidson ...

. Hilburn married Jessie Moncrief from Lake City two years after moving to Palatka. He was a member of the

Royal Arch Masonry Royal Arch Masonry (also known as "Capitular Masonry") is the first part of the York Rite system of the Masonic degrees. Royal Arch Masons meet as a ''Chapter'', and the Royal Arch Chapter confers four degrees: ''Mark Master Mason, Past Master, ...

and also served as a grand chancellor of the

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

Career

After obtaining the bar he moved to

Palatka, Florida Palatka () is a city in northeastern Florida and it is the county seat of Putnam County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,558 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Putnam County. Palatka is the principal city of the Palatka Mi ...

, and became the city attorney, a position he served for eleven years. He was also chairman of the Putnam County school board for seven years. In 1900 he was a Democratic Presidential Elector. He bought the home built and owned by Marcus Loeb who relocated to Atlanta, it is extant. He shared a partnership in a law firm with congressman

Robert Wyche Davis Robert Wyche Davis (March 15, 1849 – September 15, 1929) was a United States Representative from Florida. Biography Born near Albany, Georgia, Davis attended public schools. He enlisted in 1863 in the Fifth Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regimen ...

until they dissolved the company for business reason in 1904. Hilbert was elected to the

in early 1909 and took his seat when the session started on April 5, 1909, representing Putnam County. While in the house he was noted for his support for state wide

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

. He had not been serving long before he was being urged to run for congress and challenge the sitting congressman Frank Clark, and the rumours persisted for months with Hilburn refusing to commit. In October he finally declared that he would not run due to his law firm partner falling seriously sick and Hilburn having to "do the work of two men". After serving one term in the house he then was elected to serve in the state senate in 1911. He resigned from his seat in the senate to run for congress but lost by 384 votes of around 25,000 cast. In 1933 he was elected back to the senate and served the 26th district. He served until 1934 when he lost to H. S. McKenzie. In 1915 he was appointed by Governor Holland to be a judge in the new circuit court. In June 2015 he presided over the procedural open and adjourn session to comply with the law of fixed terms but the docket was clear of cases. However the Florida Supreme Court took a case about his circuit judgeship and whether it was constitutional and invalidated the act before he heard any cases. He was involved in a tax dispute. He was appointed to be a member of the Florida racing commission by Governor

Fred P. Cone Frederick Preston Cone (September 28, 1871 – July 28, 1948) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of Florida, 27th Governor of Florida. Early life Frederick Preston Cone was born in the Benton community of northern Col ...

and re-appointed by his successor

Spessard Holland Spessard Lindsey Holland (July 10, 1892 – November 6, 1971) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as the 28th Governor of Florida from 1941 to 1945, and later as a US senator for Florida from 1946 to 1971. He would be the first pers ...

. He was dean of the Palatka bar association. He donated 80 acres to Southern College in Sutherland, Florida, predecessor of

Florida Southern College Florida Southern College (Florida Southern, Southern or FSC) is a private college in Lakeland, Florida. In 2019, the student population at FSC consisted of 3,073 students along with 130 full-time faculty members. The college offers 50 undergradu ...

. He was attacked by a wild turkey as he prepared to butcher a turkey hen outside his home. He owned substantial property.

Death

He died aged 74 in

, on September 27, 1843, from a heart attack. He is buried in the West View Cemetery in Palatkas. The Putnam County Bar Association had a resolution to honor him for his many years service to the association as president as well as for his service to the community.

References

1869 births 1943 deaths Cumberland University alumni People from Palatka, Florida Members of the Florida House of Representatives Florida state senators {{DEFAULTSORT:Hilburn, Samuel Johnson People from Greene County, Arkansas Florida city attorneys Tennessee lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 19th-century American lawyers School board members in Florida 19th-century American educators Schoolteachers from Tennessee