Representative Samuel Stokely

Samuel Stokely (January 25, 1796 – May 23, 1861) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1841 to 1843. A member of the Whig Party, he participated in the legislative process during a significant period in American history, representing the interests of his Ohio constituents in the Twenty-seventh Congress.

Stokely was born in Washington, Washington County, Pennsylvania, on January 25, 1796. He attended private schools in his native town and pursued a classical education. He then enrolled at Washington College (now Washington & Jefferson College) in Washington, Pennsylvania, from which he was graduated in 1813. After completing his collegiate studies at a relatively young age, he turned his attention to the law, undertaking the customary period of legal study preparatory to admission to the bar.

Following his legal training, Stokely was admitted to the bar and, in 1817, commenced the practice of law in Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio. His move to Steubenville marked the beginning of a long professional and civic association with that community. In addition to his legal work, he became involved in public affairs and land administration on the expanding western frontier of the early nineteenth-century United States.

From 1821 to 1833, Stokely served as United States land receiver, a federal position in which he was responsible for receiving payments and overseeing transactions related to public lands. This role placed him at the center of federal land policy and settlement in the region during a period of rapid growth and development in Ohio and the Old Northwest. After leaving that office, he continued his legal practice and deepened his engagement in state politics. He was elected a member of the Ohio State Senate, serving in 1837 and 1838, where he participated in the legislative affairs of the state during a time of economic and political change.

Stokely’s state-level experience and prominence in the Whig Party led to his election to the national legislature. He was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-seventh Congress and served as a U.S. Representative from Ohio from March 4, 1841, to March 3, 1843. During his single term in Congress, he contributed to the legislative process at a time marked by debates over economic policy, federal power, and the direction of national development. As a Whig representing Ohio, he took part in the democratic process and worked to represent the interests and concerns of his district’s constituents in the House of Representatives.

After the conclusion of his congressional service, Stokely returned to Steubenville and resumed the practice of law. He remained a respected figure in the community and continued to be involved in civic and military affairs. He held the rank of general in the militia, reflecting both his local standing and the importance of citizen-soldier leadership in the antebellum period.

In his personal life, Stokely married Rachel Mason in April 1830. He purchased the Bezaleel Wells homestead, known as “The Grove,” at a sheriff’s sale, and he and his descendants resided there for sixty years, making it a long-standing family residence in Steubenville. He was the father of four children. Later references indicate that he also married and was survived by Mrs. Lowther and Mrs. Burton, suggesting additional family connections that extended his lineage and social ties in the region.

Samuel Stokely died in Steubenville, Ohio, on May 23, 1861. He was interred in Union Cemetery in Steubenville. His career as a lawyer, federal land officer, state senator, and one-term Whig member of Congress reflected the pathways of public service available to educated professionals in the early and mid-nineteenth century United States, and his life remained closely intertwined with the growth and development of Steubenville and eastern Ohio.