Samuel Purdy (1819 – February 17, 1882) was an American politician. As a Democrat, he served as the third lieutenant governor of California from 1852 to 1856.Hittell, Theodore Henry (1898). History of California, Vol. IV, pp. 81-82, 135. San Francisco: N.J. Stone & Company. He also was the first mayor of Stockton, California, where he was in office from 1850 to 1851.Hutchings, J. M. (1875). Scenes of Wonder and Curiosity in California, p. 34. New York and San Francisco: A. Roman and Company.
Early life Purdy was born in New York City in 1819, and was Purdy educated to be an architect.
Career In October 1850, Purdy was elected as the first mayor of Stockton, California. Purdy designed the city seal that was adopted by its city council.
Purdy served as lieutenant governor of California from 1852 until 1856 under Governor John Bigler. Purdy lost his 1855 re-election bid to Robert M. Anderson, who defeated him with 50.9% of the votes.
Purdy went on to hold various state-wide and municipal offices in California, including Inspector of Revenue for the state and Superintendent of Construction in San Francisco.
Personal life In 1849, Purdy moved to California. Purdy was married and had seven children. In 1881, one of Purdy's sons, General Erastus Sparrow Purdy, predeceased him in Cairo, Egypt. On February 17, 1882, as a widower, Purdy died in San Francisco, California.
References
External links Samuel Purdy at joincalifornia.com Samuel Purdy entry at The Political Graveyard