Samuel W. Roper (April 10, 1895 – March 1, 1986) was an American
law enforcement
Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term en ...
official and Imperial Wizard of the
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
(KKK).
Roper was an
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
police officer and the second Director of the
Georgia Bureau of Investigation
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is the state bureau of investigation of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is an independent, statewide agency that provides assistance to Georgia's criminal justice system in the areas of criminal investiga ...
. After leaving law enforcement in 1949, Roper succeeded
Samuel Green as Imperial Wizard of the KKK, and held that position until 1950.
[Staff report (August 28, 1949). Ex-Chief of Georgia G-men is new head of Ku Klux Klan. '']Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' His successor was
Eldon Edwards
Eldon Lee Edwards (June 8, 1909 – August 1, 1960) was an American Ku Klux Klan leader.
Biography
Edwards was an automobile paint sprayer from Atlanta, Georgia, and rebuilt the Klan beginning in 1953. In his book ''The Informant: The FBI, the ...
.
[Staff report (March 4, 1986). Samuel W. Roper, 90, was second director of GBI in early 1940s. '']Atlanta Journal-Constitution
''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...
'' He has also been directly implicated in the September 12, 1936 lynching and murder of Thomas Finch in Atlanta, Georgia.
Roper moved to Florida in 1972 and was a resident of
Chiefland, Florida
Chiefland is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,316 at the 2020 census. Chiefland calls itself the "Gem of the Suwannee Valley" and was incorporated in 1929.
History
A village of the Timucua people was once locat ...
at the time of his death. He died of
kidney failure
Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...
at the
Veterans Administration Hospital
Veterans' health care in the United States is separated geographically into 19 regions (numbered 1, 2, 4-10, 12 and 15–23) In January 2002, the Veterans Health Administration announced the merger of VISNs 13 and 14 to create a new, combined netw ...
in
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gaine ...
on March 1, 1986.
References
External links
Wall of Wizards via Ku Klux Klan
1895 births
1986 deaths
Leaders of the Ku Klux Klan
Deaths from kidney failure
Atlanta Police Department officers
Ku Klux Klan in Georgia (U.S. state)
Activists from Atlanta
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