WHITE CO, AR - SAMUEL S. SLOAN - Bio ***************************************************************** Submitted by: Denell Burks [DB1776@aolcom] Date:11/3/02 Copyright: All rights reserved. USGENWEB ARCHIVES DISCLAIMER: In keeping with our policy of providing free Information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. ***************************************************************** Samuel S. Sloan Newspaper article about Sam Sloan, Arkansas State Teasurer, Jan-Sep, 1925 State Treasurer Dies Unexpectedly at His Home Here. Sam S. Sloan Victim of Heart Attack While Recovering from Minor Malarial Malady. Sam S. Sloan, aged 26, state treasurer for the past nine months, died suddenly at his home, 718 High Street, Wednesday night from an attack of acute dilation of the heart, which followed a mild attack of malaria. His death came as a great shock to his family, and to friends in all parts of the state. He had been confined to h is bed for the past few days with malaria, but his illness was not considered serious, and Dr. W.N.Freemeyer and Dr. E.H.Wilkes, who was treating him, announced him well on the road to recovery, following a visit to his home late Wednesday. Dr. Freemeyer had been gone only about 10 minutes when death occurred. Mr. Sloan asked for a drink of water shortly after Dr. Freemeyer left, and was stricken as Mrs. Sloan was giving him the drink. His mother, who was in the room, rushed to the front porch and called Dr. Freemeyer, who lives next door to the Sloan home, but the treasurer was dead before th doctor reached his side. Mr. Sloan is survived by his widow; by a four year old son, Franklin S. Sloan; his mother, Mrs. J.W. Sloan of Garner; by two brothers, J.W. Sloan Jr., of Kensett, and M.S. Sloan of Little Rock, and by three sisters, Mrs. M. H. Rogers and Mrs. E. D. Duncan of Garner and Mrs. A. A. Vandergrift, of Ennis, Texas. ---------- Funeral Here Friday Funeral services will be held from the Comer-Drummond parlors at 2 o'clock Friday afternoon and state officials will be honorary pallbearers. The sermon will be by the Rev. Mr. Spooner of Searcy. Burial will be at Roselawn Cemetery. Honorary pallbearers will be Governor Terral, Secretary of State Jim Higgins, State Auditor Carroll Cone, Attorney General H.W. Applegate, Superintendent of Public Instruction, A. B. Hill, commissioner of Mines and Agriculture, W.N. Wilkes and C.O. Walker. Active pallbearers will be John Ferguson, M. F. Henderson, Roy Leonard, L.S. George, Elmer W. Smith and Guy Dever, all of whom are state officials. Mr. Sloan was elected state treasurer in October, 1924, after having been nominated in the 1925 Democratic primary without oppositon, and took office on January 12. He was serving his first term as treasurer, and was expected to be a candidate for re-election. At the age of 14, Mr. Sloan lost both arms in a cotton gin accident, and since that time had learned to do many things seemingly impossible for a person so handicapped. He wrote holding a pen or pencil in his mouth, and while serving as treasurer of White County, without a deputy, he kept the entire set of county books, writing in this fashion. He recently attracted nationwide attention by signing his name 1,300 times to a $650,000 University of Arkansas bond issue by holding a pen in his mouth and now being published in newpapers and shown on motion pictue news-reels throughout the country. Following the loss of his arms, Mr. Sloan re-entered school and ranked with leaders of his class. After completing school at Garner, White County, his former home, Mr. Sloan walked daily to McRae, four miles distant, to continue his education, and later attended high school at Bradford. While in grade school he won a map drawing contest at the White County fair, holding the pencil and crayons with his teeth. On leaving school Mr. Sloan worked for some time as a traveling salesman, and later served as a clerk in the office of the roadmaster of the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad. He became an expert accountant while employed by the railroad, and in 1920 was elected treasurer of White County. He served two terms in the county office, retiring December 31, 1924, just 12 days before he entered the state treasurer's office. State to Pay Tribute Governor Terral said Thursday that flags at the capitol will be flown at half mast until the funeral, and that all capitol offices will be closed a half day for the funeral. The state treasurer's office was closed all day Thursday and will remain closed until Saturday. "The state has been dealt a hard blow in the death of State Treasurer Sam Sloan," the governor said. "He has served the people of the state only a few months, but his short tenure of office was filled with constructive service to the taxpayers. No state official ever made a better record in so short a time." The entire state will mourn his death." The law provides that upon the death of an elective officer that the governor shall be empowered to appoint a successor to serve the un- expired term, but it is not expected that governor Terral will act until after the funeral. Mr. Sloan's term would have expired in January 1927. ----------- Note: The following article along with a photo of Sam Sloan accompanied the previous newspaper article: Article of "Arkansas Gazette," 26 Mar 1913, page 6 column 6. From Bald Knob Eagle. Sam Sloan, a 13 year old boy who lost both of his arms in a cotton gin at Garner last winter has accomplished most wonderful things sine the accident. Among other things he has drawn a map of the United States by holding a pencil in his mouth, and the work is said to be far superior to the average school boy's drawings. The map is so perfect that his teacher will have it framed and placed on exhibition at the Arkansas State Fair next fall. Young Sloan is a son of J.W. Sloan, a former mill man of this place, but now a resident of Garner. ======================================================================