Name Samuel Wilson Died August 19, 1939 | Role Politician | |
Samuel Davis Wilson (August 31, 1881 – August 19, 1939) was a U.S. politician; he served as the 112th Mayor of Philadelphia from 1936 until his death in 1939.
Wilson was born in Boston in 1881. He was educated at the Phillips Exeter Academy.
In 1938, Wilson was a candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania. He was twice indicted by a grand jury in 1938-39 on charges related to vice and gambling in Philadelphia but was never tried.
In the mayoral election of 1935, Wilson, running as a Republican, defeated Democrat John B. Kelly, Sr., 379,222 votes to 333,825. As mayor, Wilson took office on January 6, 1936. He died in office, from cerebral thrombosis and hypertension, in Philadelphia, August 19, 1939, at the age of 57. His remains were cremated.