Samuel Hallett was born in Canisteo, New York

Canisteo, New York

Canisteo may refer to two municipalities in Steuben County, New York in the United States:*Canisteo , New York*Canisteo , New York, located entirely within the town...

, and was a successful railroad developer, particularly known for the initial development of the eastern branch of the Union Pacific Railroad

Union Pacific Railroad

The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....

.

In 1848 he married Ann Elizabeth McDowell of Wayne, NY

Wayne, New York

Wayne is a town located in the northeast corner of Steuben County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 1,165...

, sister to Francis M. McDowell. Hallett and the McDowell brothers engaged in a number of enterprises including the Hallett & Co. Bank in New York City. In 1854 he built a large mansion in his wife's home town, known as the "Hallett House" or "The Aisle of Pines". He unsuccessfully ran for congress in 1856.

In 1863 Hallett’s firm, in association with John C. Fremont

John C. Frémont

John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...

, bought the controlling interest in the Leavenworth, Pawnee and Western railroad. This line became the Union Pacific Eastern Division and then the Kansas Pacific Railway

Kansas Pacific Railway

The Kansas Pacific Railway was a historic railroad company that operated in the western United States in the late 19th century. It was a federally chartered railroad, backed with government land grants. It operated many of the first long-distance lines in the state of Kansas in the 1870s,...

. They soon ran short of money and Hallett went before Congress to get additional funds for the road. After a dispute with Hallett, Fremont withdrew but Hallett took over and continued construction of the Kansas link of the railroad to the Pacific.

The process of building the railroad was highly political, and in the political maneuvering, Hallett came into conflict with the chief engineer of the Kansas Pacific, Orlando A. Talcott. Talcott, in a letter to president Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...

, accused Hallett of substandard construction of the railroad. This letter was referred to the interior secretary John Palmer Usher

John Palmer Usher

John Palmer Usher was a U.S. administrator who served in the Cabinet of President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War....

 who was a close friend of Hallett, and so Hallett was informed of Talcott's letter. As a result, Talcott was physically assaulted by one of Hallett's brothers in Wyandotte, Kansas (across the Kansas River

Kansas River

The Kansas River is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its name come from the Kanza people who once inhabited the area...

 from Kansas City, Kansas

Kansas City, Kansas

Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...

). On July 27, 1864, Talcott retaliated by shooting Samuel Hallett dead in the streets of Wyandotte.