Samuel M. Ralston
| Samuel Moffett Ralston | |
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United States Senator from Indiana |
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In office March 4, 1923 – October 14, 1925 |
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| Preceded by | Harry Stewart New |
| Succeeded by | Arthur Raymond Robinson |
| 28th Governor of Indiana | |
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In office January 13, 1913 – January 8, 1917 |
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| Lieutenant | William P. O'Neill |
| Preceded by | Thomas R. Marshall |
| Succeeded by | James P. Goodrich |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 1, 1857 New Cumberland, Ohio |
| Died | October 14, 1925 (aged 67) Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Josephine Backous (1881–1882) Jennie Craven (1889–1925) |
| Children | Emmet Gratan Julian Craven Ruth |
| Alma mater | Central Indiana Normal College |
| Profession |
Coal miner Teacher Lawyer |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
Samuel Moffett Ralston (December 1, 1857 – October 14, 1925) was Democratic politician, the 28th Governor of and a United States Senator from the U.S. state of Indiana. Born into a large impoverished family, he took many jobs as a child including working in a coal mine. He taught school and studied law, becoming a prominent state lawyer.
He became active in his local politics and eventually secured the Democratic nomination for governor. Because he served during the state's 100th anniversary he is sometimes called the Indiana's Centennial Governor. He was responsible for implementing many progressive era reforms in the state and putting down a violent riot in Indianapolis. He gained the support of the Indiana Ku Klux Klan for his anti-Catholic political positions, and with their support was elected to the United States Senate in 1922. He had become popular among the national Democratic party as the front-runner for the Presidential nomination in 1924, but he dropped out of the race because of his failing health.
Samuel Ralston was born near New Cumberland, Ohio, on December 1, 1857 the second child of John and Sarah Ralston. He was of Scottish descent, his great-grandparents immigrated to Pennsylvania in about 1760. His older brother John had died at age three, shortly before Samuel's birth. In 1865 the Ralston family moved to Owen County, Indiana where John purchased a large farm and began to raise livestock. His boyhood home, the Moffett-Ralston House, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
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