Samuel Griffith (Pennsylvania)

Samuel Griffith
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 20th district
In office March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873
Preceded by	Calvin Willard Gilfillan
Succeeded by	Hiram Lawton Richmond
Personal details
Born	(1816-02-14)February 14, 1816 Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
Died	Mercer, Pennsylvania
Political party	Democratic

Samuel Griffith (February 14, 1816 – October 1, 1893) was a Welsh-American political figure who represented Pennsylvania's 20th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1871 to March 3, 1873.

Biography

Griffith's birthplace in Wales, Merthyr Tydfil, was a booming industrial town which, at the time, was a part of the historic county of Glamorgan. He was instructed in elementary subjects by a private teacher and subsequently graduated from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Following law studies, he was admitted to the bar in 1846, at the age of thirty and, over the following decades, practiced law in the Mercer County seat, Mercer.

At the age of fifty-six, he campaigned as a Democrat to represent his congressional district and was elected to the 42nd United States Congress in November 1870. After an unsuccessful reelection campaign in 1872, he resumed law practice in Mercer.

Samuel Griffith died in Mercer at the age of seventy-seven and was buried in Mercer Cemetery.

References

• Samuel Griffith at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• The Political Graveyard

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Calvin W. Gilfillan	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 20th congressional district 1871–1873	Succeeded by Hiram L. Richmond