Samuel Maxwell (May 20, 1825 – February 11, 1901) was a

Populist Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term develop ...

politician in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

. Born in Lodi, New York, on May 20, 1825, he moved with his parents to

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

in 1844. He taught school, farmed, and studied law. He moved to the

Nebraska Territory The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebrask ...

settling in

Cass County, Nebraska Cass County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 25,241. Its county seat and largest city is Plattsmouth. The county was formed in 1855, and was named for General Lewis Cass. Cass Co ...

, resumed farming. He returned to Michigan to complete his law studies and passed the bar in 1859. He returned to Nebraska the same year and set up practice in

Plattsmouth, Nebraska Plattsmouth is a city and county seat of Cass County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,502 at the 2010 census. History The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed the mouth of the Platte River, just north of what is now Main Street Pla ...

. He became interested in Nebraskan Territorial politics. He was a delegate to the first Republican Territorial convention. He was a representative to the 1859, 1860, 1864, and 1865 Territorial house of representatives. He was a delegate to the Territorial constitutional conventions in 1864 and 1866 when Nebraska wrote its state's constitution. He was a member to the first Nebraska house of representatives in 1866. In 1867, David Butler appointed Maxwell to the board of commissioners to select capitol building plans and university lands. He was elected as an associate justice of the State supreme court in 1872, a job he was reelected to in 1875, 1881 and 1887. From 1878-82, again from 1886–88 and again from 1892 to 1894, he was the chief justice of the court. He was a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1875. He was elected as a Populist to the Fifty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1899). He resumed his law practice in

Fremont, Nebraska Fremont is a city and county seat of Dodge County in the eastern portion of the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. The population was 27,141 at the 2020 census. Fremont is the home of Midland University. History From the 1830 ...

, where he died on February 11, 1901. He is buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Plattsmouth.

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* at the

Nebraska State Historical Society History Nebraska, formerly the Nebraska State Historical Society is a Nebraska state agency, founded in 1878 to "encourage historical research and inquiry, spread historical information ... and to embrace alike aboriginal and modern history." I ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maxwell, Samuel 1825 births 1901 deaths People from Lodi, New York Chief Justices of the Nebraska Supreme Court People's Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska Members of the Nebraska Territorial Legislature Republican Party members of the Nebraska House of Representatives Nebraska lawyers Nebraska Populists People from Fremont, Nebraska 19th-century American politicians People from Plattsmouth, Nebraska 19th-century American judges Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska