Samuel Newitt Wood | |
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| Member of theKansas Senate from the 26th district | |
| In office 1876 | |
| Member of theKansas House of Representatives from the 86th district | |
| In office 1875–1877 | |
| Member of theKansas House of Representatives from the 73rd district | |
| In office 1871 | |
| Member of theKansas Senate from the 15th district | |
| In office 1867 | |
| Member of theKansas House of Representatives from the 68th district | |
| In office 1866 | |
| Member of theKansas House of Representatives from the 69th district | |
| In office 1864 | |
| Member of theKansas Senate from the 13th district | |
| In office 1861–1862 | |
| Member of the Kansas Territorial Legislature from the combined district ofChase,Morris, and Madison counties | |
| In office 1860–1861 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 30, 1825 (1825-09-30) |
| Died | June 23, 1891(1891-06-23) (aged 65) Hugoton, Kansas, US |
| Manner of death | Assassination |
| Party | Republican |
| Nickname | The Fighting Quaker |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America Union |
| Branch/service | United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1864 |
| Rank |  Brigadier General |
| Commands | 2nd Kansas Infantry Kansas Militia 6th Missouri Cavalry Regiment (Union) |
| Battles/wars | |
Samuel Newitt Wood (December 30, 1825 – June 23, 1891) was an American attorney, newspaper editor, and member of theKansas House of Representatives. He was also aFree State advocate in Kansas and an early supporter ofWomen's Suffrage. Wood was a speaker at the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Convention in 1856 that established the Republican party. He was assassinated in 1891 in a bitter fight over the naming of a new county seat in the state's southwestern corner.
A native ofOhio, Wood settled in Kansas in 1854 following its establishment as a U.S. territory. He representedChase,Morris, and Madison[1] counties in the Kansas Territorial Legislature in 1860 and 1861. Wood was subsequently elected to the firstKansas State Senate in 1861, the year the state was admitted into the Union, and completed another term as State Senator in 1867. As a member of the House, he served in 1864, 1866, 1876, and 1877, being speaker during his final term.[2] In the 1850s and 1860s, Wood owned and operated several newspapers and was editor of several other Kansas papers in the 1870s and 1880s.[3]
Samuel Newitt Wood was born atMount Gilead, Ohio, December 30, 1825, fifth child to David and Esther Ward (Mosher) Wood. His paternal grandfather was a leader in the meetings of the Orthodox Quakers until his death. His maternal grandfather became a leader in the more progressive wing of theSociety of Friends known as theHicksites. Having been raised aQuaker, Wood's hatred forslavery grew very strong. His family home was the site of a station on theUnderground Railroad. In 1849, during one of his many attempts to carry runaway slaves to freedom, he met his future wife, Margaret Lyon, daughter of William and Elizabeth Lyon. They were married on October 3, 1850. Their children were: David, born August 25, 1851; William Lyon, born March 10, 1853; Florence, born January 20, 1857; Dearie, born July 7, 1865.
Following the passage of theKansas-Nebraska Act on May 30, 1854, Samuel moved his family to Lawrence, Kansas. After the murder of Charles Dow on November 21, 1855, Samuel took part in the Rescue of Jacob Branson which occurred on November 26, 1855.[4]
In the 1850s Wood was part owner of theKansas Tribune ofLawrence. In 1859 he established the first newspapers atCottonwood Falls,The Kansas Press, and atCouncil Grove,The Council Grove Press.[5] In the late 1870s, he served as editor ofThe Kansas Greenbacker ofEmporia. He was also associated withThe Topeka State Journal,The Woodsdale Democrat, andThe Woodsdale Sentinel ofStevens County, Kansas. In 1881 he was editor-in-chief of theKansas State Journal.
Wood's service in the Civil War began ascaptain of Company I (nicknamed the "Kansas Rangers"),2nd Kansas Infantry, which fought at theBattle of Wilson's Creek.[5] Afterward he was assigned to the6th Missouri Cavalry Regiment (Union), "Fremont's Battalion", which he had recruited, serving asmajor and subsequentlylieutenant colonel. He fought at the battle near Salem, and formed a part of the command ofMaj. Gen.Samuel Curtis in his campaign throughArkansas. In 1864, Wood was appointedbrigadier general of the Kansas State Militia.[6]
On November 18, 1852, Samuel's mother Esther Ward (Mosher) Wood served as President of the Ohio Women's Rights Convention held at the Presbyterian church in Mount Gilead. The Vice-Presidents were Charlotte Cook and Mrs. A. E. Gurley. Phoebe Spencer was secretary and Mrs. Frances Dana Gage gave an address.[7][8][9]On January 21, 1860, S. N. Wood introduced House Bill No.6, entitled "An act to prohibit slavery or involuntary servitude in Kansas", and it was referred to the Committee onJudiciary, of which he was chairman. On February 2 it passed the House by a vote of 30 to 6. On February 11 the Council passed it by a vote of 9 to 4. This bill called out a veto message from Governor Medary of fifteen pages in length; and on February 21 it was passed over his veto by a vote of 30 to 7 in the House, and 9 to 4 in the Council.In 1866, Samuel was one of the leaders who proposed an amendment to the Kansas State Constitution which would strike out the words "male" and "white". On April 2, 1867, Samuel organized the Impartial Suffrage movement in Topeka, Kansas. Through this group he brought in the speakers;Henry B. Blackwell, of New Jersey, Mrs.Lucy Stone,Elizabeth Cady Stanton,Olympia Brown, Bessie Bisbee, andSusan B. Anthony.[10][11]
Involved in politics from an early age, Wood was chairman of theLiberty Party's Central Committee in his home county in 1844.[12][5] He was admitted to the bar in Morrow County, Ohio in 1854 and when the Kansas-Nebraska act was passed, Wood and his family moved to near Lawrence at Wakarusa, Kansas where he joined the Free State Party. He also participated in Jacob Branson's rescue which brought about the short-livedWakarusa War in 1855.Wood was a delegate to and spoke at thePittsburgh, Pennsylvania Convention which organized theRepublican Party in 1856.[13] He was a delegate to theLeavenworth Constitution Convention in 1858. On July 27, 1861, he was appointed and commissioned by PresidentAbraham Lincoln as [Collector of Customs] atPaso del Norte,New Mexico.[5] He resigned this position at the start of the Civil War.In 1867, Wood was appointed Judge of the 9th Judicial District.
As the founder ofWoodsdale, Kansas, Wood strongly advocated for establishing his town as the county seat ofStevens County, which locked him in a contentious battle with the rival town ofHugoton. One of the events in this confrontation was theHay Meadow Massacre,[14] in which Hugoton supporters disarmed and murdered four Woodsdale supporters. Wood attempted to prosecute the men, but it was ruled that no court had jurisdiction in "No Man's Land" (theOklahoma Panhandle) where the event took place. Woodsdale is now aghost town. Nothing of Wood's settlement remains.
As a direct result of the vicious county seat fight, Wood was assassinated outside the Hugoton courthouse on June 23, 1891, by James Brennen. Wood was buried in Prairie Grove Cemetery in Cottonwood Falls.[15] The local prosecutor was County Attorney William O'Connor, who had called for Wood's death.[16] Attorney General John Nutt Ives, an elected Democrat, brought inCharles Curtis, a former Republican prosecutor who would becomeVice President of the United States, to act on behalf of the state.[17] His murderer was never prosecuted for the assassination because a jury could not be formed. His brother, Indian Agent, Rev.David John Mosher Wood spoke at his funeral.
Woods County, Oklahoma was named in his honor.
The "Song of Samuel Wood" was made and sung in his honor by aKansas Flint Hills band.[18]
The song “My Great Great Uncle Samuel Newitt Wood” was written and recorded bySteve Hindalong.
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