Samuel J. Randall

Biography

Samuel J. Randall of Philadelphia rose from modest roots to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than three decades, earning respect for his steady leadership as Speaker of the House from 1876 to 1881 and for his deep understanding of the nation’s fiscal challenges.

He championed tariffs that protected coal and iron workers, advocated for the working class, and approached partisan rivalries with a temperate, bipartisan spirit; his service is now memorialized at Laurel Hill Cemetery.