Samuel H. Piles

Samuel Henry Piles
United States Senator
from Washington
In office
March 4, 1905 – March 3, 1911
Preceded byAddison G. Foster
Succeeded byMiles Poindexter
United States Ambassador to Colombia
In office
1922–1928
Preceded byHoffman Philip
Succeeded byJefferson 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 placeLake View Cemetery
Political partyRepublican
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

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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

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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

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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

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Sources

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Books

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  • 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

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Magazines

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