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Don Samuelson

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For the Minnesota legislator, seeDon Samuelson (Minnesota politician).

Don Samuelson
From 1967'sGem of the Mountains,
the yearbook of theUniversity of Idaho
25thGovernor of Idaho
In office
January 2, 1967 – January 4, 1971
LieutenantJack Murphy
Preceded byRobert Smylie
Succeeded byCecil Andrus
Member of theIdaho Senate
In office
1960–1966
Personal details
Born
Donald William Samuelson

(1913-07-27)July 27, 1913
Woodhull, Illinois,U.S.
DiedJanuary 20, 2000(2000-01-20)(aged 86)
Seattle,Washington,U.S.
Resting placePinecrest Memorial Park,
Sandpoint, Idaho,U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Ruby A. Samuelson
​
(m.1936)​
[1]
Children2
EducationKnox College(attended)
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceU.S. Navy
Years of service1944–1946
UnitFarragut Naval Training Station
Battles/warsWorld War II

Donald William Samuelson(July 27, 1913 – January 20, 2000) was an AmericanRepublicanpolitician who served as the 25thgovernorofIdaho,from 1967 to 1971.[2][3][4]He is the state's most recent incumbent governor to lose a re-election bid (1970).

Early life and education

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Born inWoodhull, Illinois,Samuelson grew up on a farm,[5]and attendedKnox College.

Career

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Samuelson served in theUnited States NavyduringWorld War IIas a weapons instructor andgunsmithat theFarragut Naval Training Station,a major inland training facility atLake Pend OreilleinnorthernIdaho.

After the war, Samuelson stayed in the area; he brought his family out from Illinois and opened a sporting goods store in nearbySandpoint.[6]He also had an interest in a business that sold and leased mining and logging equipment.[5]

Governor of Idaho

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A conservative, Samuelson was encouraged by GovernorRobert Smylieto run for thestate senatein 1960; Samuelson won and was re-elected in 1962 and 1964.[7]After the Democratic landslide of1964,he decided to run for governor in1966,which was still held by three-term incumbent Smylie, a moderate Republican fromBoiseand formerstate attorney general.In a heated race that drew national attention to the Republican gubernatorialprimary,[8][9]Samuelson won handily, 61 to 39%.[10][11][12]

Following their wins in the early August primary, Samuelson and attorney Charles Herndon ofSalmonwere slated to face each other in the November general election. In mid-September, while flying fromPocatellotoCoeur d'Alene,Herndon and two others were killed in a private plane crash in thecentralIdaho mountains, northwest ofStanley.[13][14][15][16]The pilot of the twin-enginePiper PA-23was the only survivor.[17]Occurring only seven weeks before the election, theDemocratsnominated the runner-up in the primary, state senatorCecil AndrusofOrofino,[18]whom Samuelson defeated by over 10,000 votes.[19]

During the 1970 gubernatorial campaign, Samuelson supportedmolybdenummining in central Idaho'sWhite Cloud Mountains,[20][21]and was defeated for re-election by Andrus, a staunch opponent of the mining development, and returned to private life.[22]

Following Samuelson's win in 1966, Democrats won the next six gubernatorial elections in Idaho, through1990.

Personal life

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He and his wife, Ruby A. Samuelson, were married in 1936 and had two children.[5][23]

Samuelson died at age 86 of aheart attackon January 20, 2000, at theSwedish Medical CenterinSeattle.He is interred at Pinecrest Memorial Park in Sandpoint, Idaho.[2][24]

References

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  1. ^"Former first lady of Idaho dies at 88".Lewiston Morning Tribune.(Idaho). Associated Press. April 17, 2002. p. 8A.
  2. ^abWarbis, Mark (January 21, 2000)."Ex-Gov. Don Samuelson dies at 86 of heart attack".Lewiston Morning Tribune.(Idaho). Associated Press. p. C1.
  3. ^"Governor Donald W. Samuelson".Gem of the Mountains.University of Idaho. 1967. p. 20.
  4. ^"Governor Donald W. Samuelson".Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1969. p. 33.
  5. ^abcLloyd, Paul G.S. (August 4, 1966)."Winner foresaw success".Lewiston Morning Tribune.(Idaho). Associated Press. p. 1.
  6. ^Love, Marianne (Summer 1996)."Sailors Ahoy!".Sandpoint Magazine.Keokee Co. Publishing, Inc.
  7. ^"Don William Samuelson".National Governors Association.RetrievedOctober 10,2021.
  8. ^Boissat, Bruce (July 30, 1966)."Governor Smylie in deep trouble".Owosso Argus-Times.(Michigan). NEA. p. 4.
  9. ^"Goldwater isn't taking sides on Smylie-Samuelson".Lewiston Morning Tribune.(Idaho). Associated Press. July 29, 1966. p. 1.
  10. ^Myers, Robert (August 4, 1966)."1964 post-election fight seen as factor in Smylie's sound defeat by Samuelson".Lewiston Morning Tribune.(Idaho). Associated Press. p. 1.
  11. ^"Smylie loses, Herndon holds edge on Andrus".Lewiston Morning Tribune.(Idaho). Associated Press. August 3, 1966. p. 1.
  12. ^Duncombe, Herbert S.; Martin, Boyd A. (1967)."The 1966 Election in Idaho".The Western Political Quarterly.20(2): 568–575.doi:10.2307/446084.ISSN0043-4078.
  13. ^"Idaho nominee for governor is crash victim".Spokane Daily Chronicle.(Washington). Associated Press. September 15, 1966. p. 1.
  14. ^"Idaho Democratic candidate is killed".The Bulletin.(Bend, Oregon). UPI. September 15, 1966. p. 1.
  15. ^"Idaho Crash Claims Governor Candidate".Eugene Register-Guard.(Oregon). Associated Press. September 15, 1966. p. 4A.
  16. ^"Air crash kills Idaho candidate for governor".Morning-Record.(Meriden, Connecticut). Associated Press. September 16, 1966. p. 17.
  17. ^"SEA67A0023, Piper PA-23, N4242P".NTSB. September 14, 1966.RetrievedMarch 15,2013.
  18. ^"Andrus Democratic nominee".Spokesman-Review.(Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. September 21, 1966. p. 13.
  19. ^"Conservatism given credit by Samuelson".Spokesman-Review.(Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. November 10, 1966. p. 1.
  20. ^"Samuelson reiterates support of mining in White Clouds".Lewiston Morning Tribune.(Idaho). Associated Press. September 17, 1969. p. 1.
  21. ^Kenyon, Quane (April 29, 1985)."Priest Lake question colors Idaho politics".Spokesman-Review.Associated Press. p. A1.
  22. ^"Andrus tops Idaho vote".Spokane Daily Chronicle.(Washington). Associated Press. November 4, 1970. p. 1.
  23. ^"Don Samuelson".National Governors Association.RetrievedSeptember 25,2012.
  24. ^"Don Samuelson".The Political Graveyard.RetrievedSeptember 25,2012.
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Party political offices
Preceded by Republican Partynominee,Governor of Idaho
1966(won),1970(lost) 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Idaho
January 2, 1967 – January 4, 1971 		Succeeded by
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