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Samuel Henry Piles
United States Senator
from Washington
In office
March 4, 1905 – March 3, 1911
Preceded by Addison G. Foster
Succeeded by Miles Poindexter
United States Ambassador to Colombia
In office
1922–1928
Preceded by Hoffman Philip
Succeeded by Jefferson Caffery
Personal details
Born(1858-12-28)December 28, 1858
Smithland, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedMarch 11, 1940(1940-03-11) (aged 81)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place Lake View Cemetery
Political party Republican
Signature

Samuel Henry Piles (December 28, 1858 – March 11, 1940) was an American politician, attorney, and diplomat who served as a United States senator from Washington.

Early life

Piles was born near Smithland, Kentucky, the son of Samuel Henry Piles (d. 1904) and Gabriella Lillard. [1] The senior Piles was sheriff of Livingston County, and later practiced law. [2] Samuel Jr. attended private schools in Kentucky before studying law. [1]

Career

Piles was admitted to the bar in 1883, and commenced practice in Snohomish, Territory of Washington. [1]

He moved to Spokane in 1886 and later in the same year to Seattle, where he practiced law. [1] He was assistant prosecuting attorney for the third judicial district of the Territory of Washington from 1887 to 1889 and city attorney of Seattle from 1888 to 1889. [1] He was also general counsel of the Pacific Coast Company from 1895 to 1905. [1]

Piles addressing a crowd at the Alki Point Monument dedication November 13, 1905

In January 1905, Piles was elected to the U.S. Senate. [3] He served one term, March 4, 1905, to March 3, 1911. [4] He was not a candidate for renomination in 1910. [4] While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Coast and Insular Survey (Fifty-ninth through Sixty-first Congresses). [5] After leaving the Senate, he resumed the practice of law in Seattle. [6]

In 1922, Piles was appointed by President Warren G. Harding as Minister to Colombia, an office he held until 1928. [6] [7]

Personal life

In 1891, Piles married Mary E. Barnard of Henderson, Kentucky. [1] They were the parents of three children: Ross Barnard, Ruth Lillard, and Samuel Henry. [1]

He retired from active pursuits and moved to Los Angeles, California, where he died in 1940. He was interred in the Lake View Cemetery. [8] [9]

References

Sources

Books

  • The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. XIV. New York, NY: James T. White & Company. 1910. p. 389.
  • Eskew, Stephen (2011). Crittenden County, Kentucky Obituaries and Death Notices. Vol. II, 1900–1905. Marion, KY: Stephen Eskew. p. 183. ISBN  978-1-304-08219-0.
  • Spencer, Thomas E. (1998). Where They're Buried. Baltimore, MD: Clearfield Company. p.  147. ISBN  9780806348230.

Newspapers

Magazines

  • Connolly, C. P. (August 22, 1908). "Ankeney of Washington". Collier's: The national Weekly. New York, NY: P. F. Collier & Son. p. 16.

External links

U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. senator (Class 1) from Washington
March 4, 1905 – March 3, 1911
Served alongside: Levi Ankeny, Wesley L. Jones
Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Minister to Colombia
29 May 1922 – 17 September 1928
Succeeded by