Samuel Furman Hunt (October 24, 1844 – January 12, 1907) was an American politician. He was a legislative leader in the Ohio Senate, Judge Advocate General of his state, and a judge of the Superior Court of Cincinnati. Near the end of 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 ...

, he lowered the

Confederate flag The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...

over the Confederate capitol in Richmond, Virginia after

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

troops abandoned the city.

Youth and Civil War

Samuel Furman Hunt was born at

Springdale, Ohio Springdale is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Cincinnati. The population was 11,007 at the 2020 census. Geography Springdale is located at (39.293037, -84.483003). According to the United States Census Bureau, ...

, on October 24, 1844. He was the son of Dr. John Randolph Hunt (1795–1863), and Amanda Baird Hunt (1811–1892). He entered

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the ...

in 1860, where he was four years class president. He completed his college education at

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

, where he received bachelor's and master's degrees. He also received a bachelor's degree from Miami in the class of 1864. During the

, Hunt visited the battlefield at Shiloh in 1862 to minister to the wounded and dying, and received the commendations of officers, soldiers and the Sanitary Commission. In March 1865, he was with the

Army of the James The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River during the final operations of the American Civil War in Virginia. History The Union Department ...

. He entered the capital in advance of General

Godfrey Weitzel Godfrey (Gottfried) Weitzel (November 1, 1835 – March 19, 1884) was a German-American major general in the Union army during the American Civil War. He was the acting Mayor of New Orleans during the Union occupation of the city and also captured ...

's command, as he was in charge of supplies for sufferers in that city. He was the man who lowered the Confederate flag from the capitol building in Richmond, Virginia on the day that the Confederate forces abandoned that city. During the war, Hunt also acted as a correspondent for one or more Cincinnati newspapers. After completing college, he studied law under

Stanley Matthews Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE (1 February 1915 – 23 February 2000) was an English footballer who played as an outside right. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the British game, he is the only player to have been knighted while sti ...

, and at the

Cincinnati Law School The University of Cincinnati College of Law was founded in 1833 as the Cincinnati Law School. It is the fourth oldest continuously running law school in the United States — after Harvard, the University of Virginia, and Yale — and the first in ...

, where he received an

LL.B. Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

in 1867. He started working in the office of

Henry Stanbery Henry Stanbery (February 20, 1803 – June 26, 1881) was an American lawyer from Ohio. He was most notable for his service as Ohio's first attorney general from 1846 to 1851 and the United States Attorney General from 1866 to 1868. A native of N ...

in 1868, shortly after Stanbery had resigned as

United States Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

to take up the defense of President Andrew Johnson in his impeachment proceedings.

Public service

In October 1869, Hunt was elected to the Ohio Senate, and he served 1870 and 1871. He was elected President Pro-Tempore of the Ohio Senate, being the youngest person in that position up to that point. He introduced the legislation to establish the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...

, where he was a director 1872–1890 and chairman of the board for eleven of those years. In 1871, Hunt was the Democratic nominee for

Lieutenant Governor of Ohio The position of lieutenant governor of Ohio was established in 1852. The lieutenant governor becomes governor if the governor resigns, dies in office or is removed by impeachment. Before 1852, the president of the Ohio State Senate would serve as ...

. He

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

to Republican

Jacob Mueller Jacob Mueller (March 9, 1822 – August 31, 1905) was an American politician who served as the tenth lieutenant governor of Ohio from 1872 to 1874. Biography Jacob Mueller was born in Alsenz, Germany in 1822, and studied Jurisprudence. He practi ...

. In 1873 he was a delegate to the constitutional convention that wrote a new constitution for the state. In 1878,

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Richard M. Bishop appointed him Judge Advocate General of Ohio, with rank of Brigadier General. In 1880, Hunt was the nominee for

Ohio's 1st congressional district Ohio's 1st congressional district is represented by Republican Steve Chabot. This district includes the western four-fifths of Cincinnati, and borders both Kentucky and Indiana. This district was once represented by President William Henry Ha ...

, losing to Benjamin Butterworth. In 1882, he moved from Springdale to

Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''. It may refer to: Places Australia * Glendale, New South Wales ** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre *Glendale, Queensland, ...

. In January 1890, Governor James E. Campbell appointed him to the seat on the Superior Court of Cincinnati vacated when

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

was made

United States Solicitor General The solicitor general of the United States is the fourth-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice. Elizabeth Prelogar has been serving in the role since October 28, 2021. The United States solicitor general represent ...

. He was elected for the remaining three years of Taft's term in April that year, and to a full five-year term in 1893. He served 1890 to 1898. Ill health led him to refrain from running for another term.

Professional and fraternal

In 1892, Hunt was elected president of the

Ohio State Bar Association The Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of Ohio. History OSBA was founded on March 6, 1880 when the Cleveland Bar Association issued a call other Ohio local bar associations to meet at Case Hall in Cle ...

, and he was vice-president of the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...

in 1893. In 1874 he was made a trustee of Miami University, and he was re-appointed several times, serving until his death. He was president of the Society of Alumni of Miami University 1887 and 1888. He was a member of the Ohio commandery of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

, the

Sons of the American Revolution The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR or NSSAR) is an American congressionally chartered organization, founded in 1889 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. A non-profit corporation, it has described its purpose ...

, Governor of the Society of the Colonial Wars in the State of Ohio, member of the Ohio Archaeological and Historical Society,

Delta Kappa Epsilon Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active colonies across North America. It was founded at Yale College in 1844 by fiftee ...

fraternity, and honorary member of the Society of the Sailors and Soldiers of the Mexican War. Hunt died unmarried on January 12, 1907, and he was buried at the church graveyard in

Notes

References

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External links