Samuel M. Ralston

Samuel Moffett Ralston (* December 1, 1857 in New Cumberland, Tuscarawas County, Ohio; † October 14, 1925 in Lebanon, Indiana ) was an American politician and 1913-1917 the 28th Governor of Indiana.

Early years

Samuel Ralston came with his parents in 1865 to Indiana, where they settled in Owen County. There he attended the local schools, the Northern Indiana School in Valparaiso and by 1885 the Central Normal College in Danville. After studying law he was admitted to the bar in 1886, after which he opened a law firm in Lebanon. As a member of the Democratic Party Ralston was in the years 1888 and 1892 each of the electors in the presidential elections. In 1898 he applied unsuccessfully for the post of Secretary of State of Indiana, and in 1908 he missed the targeted his party's nomination for top candidates for the gubernatorial elections. Between 1908 and 1912 he was chairman of the school committee of the city Lebanon. In 1912 he was elected as the new governor of Indiana. He won against the former Republican Governor Winfield T. Durbin.

Governor of Indiana

Ralston began his four -year term on 13 January 1913. During this time, the historical commission of Indiana was founded. Also a service Commission ( Public Service Commission ) and a road authority ( Highway Commission ) have been launched. The system of state parks in Indiana ( State Park System) was designed and launched. There was also a State Farm, were employed on the detainees with less long sentences. Finally, new labor laws and the law regulating the preset system (Primary Election Law ) were introduced.

More career

After the end of his term in January 1917 Ralston was working as a lawyer again. In 1922 he was elected to the U.S. Senate. There he remained until his death in 1925. At the Democratic National Convention in 1924 was Ralston as the favorite for the nomination for the Democratic presidential candidate. To the surprise of all Party members, he declined the nomination, which went to John W. Davis. Presumably, his health was the reason for this refusal; in fact, he died a year later. He was buried in Lebanon. Samuel Ralston was married twice and had three children.