Samuel Pomeroy Colt (January 10, 1852 – August 13, 1921) was an industrialist and politician from

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

. He formed the United States Rubber Company, later called

Uniroyal The company formerly known as the United States Rubber Company, now Uniroyal, is an American manufacturer of tires and other synthetic rubber-related products, as well as variety of items for military use, such as ammunition, explosives, chemi ...

and the largest rubber company in the nation.

Early life and education

Samuel P. Colt was born in Paterson,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, on January 10, 1852, the youngest of six children born to Christopher Colt (brother to arms maker

Samuel Colt Samuel Colt (; July 19, 1814 – January 10, 1862) was an American inventor, industrialist, and businessman who established Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company (now Colt's Manufacturing Company) and made the mass production of r ...

) and Theodora Goujand DeWolf Colt of

Bristol, Rhode Island Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, US as well as the historic county seat. The town is built on the traditional territories of the Pokanoket Wampanoag. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England. The population of B ...

. His mother was a member of the large and wealthy

DeWolf family The DeWolf family (also spelled D’Wolf or DeWolfe) is a prominent Canadian and American family that traces its roots to Balthazar DeWolf. Balthazar DeWolf Balthazar DeWolf (d. about 1696) is first mentioned in the records of Hartford, Conne ...

, most of whose men made their money in the

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

and related businesses. Colt's friends and family called him "Pom". In 1875, at the age of 23, he was appointed military aide-de-camp to

Rhode Island Governor The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Democrat Dan McKee. In their capacity ...

Henry Lippitt Henry Lippitt (October 9, 1818 – June 5, 1891) was the 33rd Governor of Rhode Island from 1875 to 1877. Family Lippitt was the son of Warren Lippitt and Eliza (Seamans) Lippitt, married to Mary Ann Balch. Lippitt was the father of Charles Wa ...

and was commissioned as a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in the Rhode Island Militia. He would use this title for the remainder of his life. In 1876, Colt graduated from

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

Career and family

In 1876, at age 24, Colt was elected to represent

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

in the

Rhode Island House of Representatives The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is composed of 75 members, elected t ...

. He became involved in efforts to regulate

child labor Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such e ...

and advance women's

property rights The right to property, or the right to own property (cf. ownership) is often classified as a human right for natural persons regarding their possessions. A general recognition of a right to private property is found more rarely and is typically ...

. He left the legislature in 1879 when appointed Assistant Attorney General for Rhode Island. In 1881 Colt was elected

Attorney General of Rhode Island The Attorney General of Rhode Island is the chief legal advisor of the Government of the State of Rhode Island and oversees the State of Rhode Island Department of Law. The attorney general is elected every four years. The current Attorney Gene ...

and was re-elected to three one-year terms. He served in office from May 1882 to May 1886. In 1881, Colt married Elizabeth Bullock, also of Bristol. The marriage produced three sons: Samuel Pomeroy, Jr. (1881–1890), Russell Griswold (1882–1960), and Roswell Christopher (1889–1935). Samuel and Elizabeth separated in 1896, and neither remarried. Russell G. Colt married actress

Ethel Barrymore Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe; August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarde ...

. In 1886, Colt founded the Industrial Trust Company, a financial organization; he served as its president until 1908. Later, it became Industrial National Bank, then

Fleet Bank FleetBoston Financial was a Boston, Massachusetts-based bank created in 1999 by the merger of Fleet Financial Group and BankBoston. In 2004 it merged with Bank of America; all of its banks and branches were converted to Bank of America. History ...

, and was ultimately merged into

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank w ...

. In 1887, Colt was appointed as a receiver for the bankrupt National Rubber Company, based in Bristol. He reorganized the company and reopened it in 1888 as the National India Rubber Company. In 1892, he merged it with several other companies he had acquired to form the

United States Rubber Company The company formerly known as the United States Rubber Company, now Uniroyal, is an American manufacturer of tires and other synthetic rubber-related products, as well as variety of items for military use, such as ammunition, explosives, chemi ...

. Later called Uniroyal, it became the largest producer of rubber goods in the world. In 1901, Colt became president of the company, serving until 1918, when he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Trustees. He was one of the founders of the Rhode Island Society of the

Sons of the Revolution Sons of the Revolution is a hereditary society which was founded in 1876 and educates the public about the American Revolution. The General Society Sons of the Revolution headquarters is a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation located at Willia ...

in 1896. The following year, he helped found the Rhode Island

Society of Colonial Wars The Society of Colonial Wars is a hereditary society composed of men who trace their descents from forebears who, in military, naval, or civil positions of high trust and responsibility, by acts or counsel, assisted in the establishment, defense, ...

, and was assigned state society membership number 1. In 1903, he ran for governor of Rhode Island as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, but failed to unseat the incumbent

Lucius Garvin Lucius Fayette Clark Garvin (November 13, 1841 – October 2, 1922) was an American physician and the 48th Governor of Rhode Island from 1903 to 1905. Biography Origins and family Lucius Garvin was born in 1841 in Knoxville, Tennessee. ...

. In 1905, believing that incumbent Republican

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

George P. Wetmore George Peabody Wetmore (August 2, 1846September 11, 1921) was an American politician who was the 37th Governor of, and a Senator from, Rhode Island. Early life George Peabody Wetmore was born in London, England, during a visit of his parents ...

was not going to stand for reelection, Colt announced his candidacy. Wetmore eventually decided to run. The ensuing contest between Colt, Wetmore and

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 ...

Robert Hale Ives Goddard Robert Hale Ives Goddard (September 21, 1837 – April 22, 1916) was a prominent banker, industrialist, U.S. Army officer, state senator and philanthropist. Early life He was born in Providence, Rhode Island on September 21, 1837. He was a son ...

resulted in 81 deadlocked ballots cast by the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

over four months in 1907 and a vacant seat in Rhode Island's delegation to the

60th Congress The 60th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1907, to M ...

. In the end, Colt stepped down, possibly due to ill health. Wetmore was reelected to belatedly join the 60th Congress in January 1908. (Colt's older brother, LeBaron B. Colt, would win this seat in 1913.) Colt died August 13, 1921, of complications from a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

Linden Place Linden Place mansion is a Federal-style mansion located in Bristol, Rhode Island. It was built in 1810 by slave trader, merchant, privateer and ship owner General George DeWolf and was designed by architect, Russell Warren. The mansion now opera ...

, the family home in Bristol. A farm owned by Colt was later purchased by the state of Rhode Island and transformed into

Colt State Park Colt State Park is an American public open space that occupies on Poppasquash Neck in the town of Bristol, Rhode Island, once owned by industrialist Samuel P. Colt, nephew of firearms manufacturer Samuel Colt. The park is a major component of t ...

Legacy and honors

* Colt's home

is now a historic house museum.

References

Biography from the University of Rhode Island Colt Family Papers collection

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Colt, Samuel P. 1852 births 1921 deaths American manufacturing businesspeople Rhode Island Attorneys General Republican Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives People from Bristol, Rhode Island DeWolf family Colt family Columbia Law School alumni Burials at Juniper Hill Cemetery People from Paterson, New Jersey

Early life and education

Career and family

Legacy and honors

References

Further reading

External links