Howard J. Samuels

Howard Joseph Samuels (December 3, 1919 – October 26, 1984) was an American statesman, industrialist, civil rights activist and philanthropist who served as U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce and Director of the Small Business Administration under President Johnson, special advisor to the campaign for president by John F. Kennedy and the administration of President Carter.

A graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management, Samuels served as a colonel in the Third Army under General George Patton. Upon conclusion of service, Samuels co-founded the Kordite Corporation. Following the principles he set on his senior thesis, Kordite was the first to produce synthetic products for household consumerism and introduced a number of mainstays including the baggie, wax paper, plastic wrap, disposable kitchenware, and a sturdy trash bag that became the Hefty brand. The success of the company made Samuels one of the wealthiest New Yorkers, and financially able to enter politics.

The Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of New York in 1966 on a ticket headed by Frank D. O'Connor, Samuels also contended unsuccessfully for the nomination for Governor four times from 1962 to 1974. He lost the 1970 primary to Arthur Goldberg and the 1974 primary to Hugh Carey. He also served as special aide to New York City Mayor John Lindsay prior to his appointment as the first Chairman of New York City’s Off-Track Betting operations. Samuels is credited with alerting voters to the need for a Constitutional Convention, forming the non-partisan group Citizens Committee for Constitutional Convention. Members included Secretaries of the Health, Education & Welfare and Commerce departments in the Eisenhower administration, numerous Commissioners and administrators to New York State and City agencies, and Senators' Robert Kennedy and Christopher Dodd. Governor Nelson Rockefeller would later sign the bill.

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