Samuel Price (July 28, 1805February 25, 1884) was Virginia lawyer and politician, who helped to establish the state of

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and became Lieutenant Governor, and later a

United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

Early and family life

Born in

Fauquier County, Virginia Fauquier is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,972. The county seat is Warrenton. Fauquier County is in Northern Virginia and is a part of the Washington metropolitan area. History In 16 ...

, Price moved with his parents to

Preston County Preston County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the population was 34,216. Its county seat is Kingwood, West Virginia, Kingwood. The county was form ...

(now in West Virginia) in 1815. He received a preparatory training and read law.

Career

Admitted to the Virginia

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in 1832, Price began practicing law in

Nicholas Nicholas is a male given name and a surname. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglicanism, Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the n ...

and Braxton Counties. He was elected Nicholas county clerk in 1830 and

Commonwealth Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

in 1833. He owned slaves. Voters elected Price to the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

, where he represented Nicholas County part time from 1834 to 1836, then moved to Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1836 and to

Lewisburg, Virginia Lewisburg is a List of cities in West Virginia, city in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,930 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Greenbrier County. Geography Lewisbu ...

(now West Virginia) in 1838. He was prosecuting attorney for Braxton County from 1836 to 1850 and represented Braxton County in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1847 to 1850 and again in 1852. Price was a delegate to the

Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850 The Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850 was an assembly of elected delegates chosen by the voters to write the fundamental law of Virginia. It is known as the Reform Convention because it liberalized Virginia political institutions. Backgro ...

, and the

Virginia Secession Convention of 1861 The Virginia Secession Convention of 1861 was called in Richmond to determine whether Virginia would secede from the United States, to govern the state during a state of emergency, and to write a new Constitution for Virginia, which was subsequent ...

where he voted against secession. In 1863 he was elected the fifth Lieutenant Governor of Virginia and served until the close of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. He was a delegate to the constitutional convention of

in 1872 and was its president. He was appointed as a

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to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Allen T. Caperton and served from August 26, 1876, to January 26, 1877, when a successor was elected. He was an unsuccessful candidate in 1876 for election to fill the vacancy.

Death and legacy

In 1884. Price died in Lewisburg. Interment was in the Stuart Burying Ground at Stuart Manor, near Lewisburg. The Gov. Samuel Price House at Lewisburg was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1975.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Price, Samuel 1805 births 1884 deaths People from Fauquier County, Virginia American people of Welsh descent Democratic Party United States senators from West Virginia Lieutenant Governors of Virginia Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates County and city Commonwealth's Attorneys in Virginia County clerks in Virginia Virginia lawyers West Virginia lawyers American slave owners People from Braxton County, West Virginia People from Lewisburg, West Virginia People from Nicholas County, West Virginia People from Preston County, West Virginia 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers People of West Virginia in the American Civil War United States senators who owned slaves