Biography.guide
Home › People › Politician › Samuel Purdy
Portrait of Samuel Purdy

Samuel Purdy

1819 – 1882

American politician

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Samuel Purdy

Lived 1819 – 1882 (aged 62–63). Samuel Purdy was an American politician.

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. He also was the first mayor of Stockton, California, where he was in office from 1850 to 1851.

Early life Purdy was born in New York City in 1819, and was Purdy educated to be an architect.

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.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Born
1819, New York City
Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Positions held
Lieutenant Governor of California

People in Samuel Purdy's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Samuel Purdy's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Samuel Purdy?

American politician

When was Samuel Purdy born?

Samuel Purdy was born in 1819 in New York City.

When did Samuel Purdy die?

Samuel Purdy died on 17 February 1882 in San Francisco.

What was Samuel Purdy's occupation?

Samuel Purdy was a politician.

What nationality was Samuel Purdy?

Samuel Purdy was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Samuel Purdy

· Wikidata: Q7412428

· DBpedia: Samuel Purdy

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Samuel Purdy. https://biography.guide/samuel-purdy/

MLA: "Samuel Purdy." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/samuel-purdy/.

Chicago: "Samuel Purdy." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/samuel-purdy/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-23 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:06 UTC