William James Samford (September 16, 1844 – June 11, 1901) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 31st Governor of Alabama and in the United States House of Representatives.

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Quick Facts 31st Governor of Alabama, Lieutenant ...

William James Samford
31st Governor of Alabama
In office December 1, 1900 – June 11, 1901
Lieutenant	William D. Jelks
Preceded by	Joseph F. Johnston
Succeeded by	William D. Jelks
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 3rd district
In office March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881
Preceded by	Jeremiah N. Williams
Succeeded by	William C. Oates
Personal details
Born	September 16, 1844 Greenville, Georgia, U.S.
Died	June 11, 1901 (aged 56) Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Caroline Elizabeth Drake
Profession	Lawyer

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William James Samford was born on September 16, 1844, in Greenville, Georgia. His father was William Flewellyn Samford, and his mother was Susan Lewis Dowdell Samford. In 1846, he moved with his parents to Chambers County, Alabama. He was educated in the public schools of Chambers and Auburn, Alabama. He then attended the East Alabama Male College (now Auburn University) before transferring to the University of Georgia.

During the American Civil War, Samford served in the Confederate States Army as a lieutenant in the 46th Alabama Infantry Regiment that fought in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi.^[1] He was taken prisoner in the Battle of Champion Hill in Hinds County, Mississippi and spent eighteen months in captivity at Johnson's Island.^[2]

After the Civil War, Samford began farming. In 1867, he was admitted to the Alabama State Bar and established a law practice in Opelika, Alabama. He was also an ordained minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church South.

Samford entered politics in 1872, serving as a city alderman and alternate elector for the Horace Greeley ticket. In 1874, he was a delegate to the state constitutional convention. In 1878, he was elected as a Democrat to the United States Congress, where he served for one term.

Though he took office as governor in December 1900, he missed the first few weeks of his gubernatorial term because he was out of the state receiving medical treatment. During this time, William D. Jelks, then President of the Alabama Senate, acted as governor until December 26, 1900.

After six months in office, he died on June 11, 1901, and William D. Jelks succeeded him as governor.^[3]

Samford married Caroline Elizabeth Drake in 1865. He was a devout Methodist and a licensed preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.^[4]