Samuel Lewis Hays
Encyclopedia
Samuel Lewis Hays was a nineteenth century politician in Virginia
. Hays was born in Harrison County
near Clarksburg
in what later became the state of West Virginia
. He was married to Roanna Arnold in 1817 and moved to Lewis County (later Gilmer County
) to pursue agriculture in 1833. Following Roanna's death in 1841, Hays married twice more: first to Nancy Covert (died 1863) and then to Emma Fletcher.
Hays was elected as a Democrat
to the 27th United States Congress
, serving from 1841 to 1843, and made an unsuccessful bid for reelection in 1842; however, he later served as a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1850. During his service as a Representative, Hays sponsored the admission of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
as a cadet to the military academy at West Point, and also urged the building of the Parkersburg
-Staunton
Turnpike. He later laid out the town of Glenville
in 1845. Hays moved to Sauk Rapids, Minnesota
, in 1857 and was appointed Receiver of Public Moneys by President James Buchanan
. He served in this capacity until 1860, at which time he resumed his agricultural interests. Following his death in 1871, Hays was interred at the Old Benton County
Cemetery in Sauk Rapids.
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Hays was born in Harrison County
Harrison County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 68,652 people, 27,867 households, and 19,088 families residing in the county. The population density was 165 people per square mile . There were 31,112 housing units at an average density of 75 per square mile...
near Clarksburg
Clarksburg, West Virginia
Clarksburg is a city in and the county seat of Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, in the north-central region of the state. It is the principal city of the Clarksburg, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area...
in what later became the state of West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. He was married to Roanna Arnold in 1817 and moved to Lewis County (later Gilmer County
Gilmer County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,160 people, 2,768 households, and 1,862 families residing in the county. The population density was 21 people per square mile . There were 3,621 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile...
) to pursue agriculture in 1833. Following Roanna's death in 1841, Hays married twice more: first to Nancy Covert (died 1863) and then to Emma Fletcher.
Hays was elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the 27th United States Congress
27th United States Congress
The Twenty-seventh United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1841 to March 3, 1843, during the one-month...
, serving from 1841 to 1843, and made an unsuccessful bid for reelection in 1842; however, he later served as a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1850. During his service as a Representative, Hays sponsored the admission of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
Stonewall Jackson
ຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
as a cadet to the military academy at West Point, and also urged the building of the Parkersburg
Parkersburg, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,099 people, 14,467 households, and 8,767 families residing in the city. In 2006 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Parkersburg's population had decreased 4.4% to 31,755. The population density was 2,800.5 people per square mile . There were 16,100 housing...
-Staunton
Staunton, Virginia
Staunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat of Augusta County....
Turnpike. He later laid out the town of Glenville
Glenville, West Virginia
Glenville is a town in and the county seat of Gilmer County, West Virginia, United States, along the Little Kanawha River. The population was 1,544 at the 2000 census. It is the home of Glenville State College.-History:...
in 1845. Hays moved to Sauk Rapids, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, in 1857 and was appointed Receiver of Public Moneys by President James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
. He served in this capacity until 1860, at which time he resumed his agricultural interests. Following his death in 1871, Hays was interred at the Old Benton County
Benton County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 34,226 people, 13,065 households, and 8,518 families residing in the county. The population density was 84 people per square mile . There were 13,460 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
Cemetery in Sauk Rapids.