Samuel Walter Biography


	This biography appears on pages 768-769 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" 	by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and 
	was scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	organizations for their private use. 

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval 
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other 
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.

	This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside
	a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

	http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm


				SAMUEL WALTER. 

	Samuel Walter, residing in Freeman and occupying the position of 
county treasurer of Hutchinson county, was born on the 16th of 
February, 1869, in southern Russia, of German parentage. He is a son of 
Jacob and Barbara Walter, who in the year 1876 came with their family 
to the new world, making their way to South Dakota. They settled on a 
homestead on section 30, township 99, range 56, and since that time Mr. 
Walter has given his attention to the further development and 
improvement of the property, which he has transformed into a valuable 
farm. He survives his wife, who passed away in 1914. 

	Samuel Walter was educated in the German school and for a short 
time also attended the district school. He worked with his father 
through the period of his boyhood and youth until he reached the age of 
twenty-one years, after which he turned his attention to commercial 
pursuits, securing employment in a store. He spent six years at Freeman 
as a clerk and at the end of that time turned his attention to grain 
buying, in which he continued on his own account for fifteen years. In 
the meantime he had become a recognized factor in political circles and 
in 1912 he was elected to the office of treasurer for a period of two 
years. He made such a creditable record in that position that he was 
reelected for another two years, so that he is now serving for the 
second term. 

	On the 6th of December, 1891, Mr. Walter was united in marriage 
to Miss Annie Glanzer, a daughter of Paul Glanzer, and their children 
are Annie, Samuel, David, Martha and Emma. Mr. Walter belongs to the 
Mennonite church and he gives his political allegiance to the 
republican party, of which he has long been a stalwart advocate, 
supporting that party since age conferred upon him the right of 
franchise. He has been a delegate to county conventions and has been 
president of the town board of Freeman, in addition to filling the 
office of county treasurer, in which capacity he is now serving. While 
engaged in the grain business he controlled ten elevators. When he 
retired from individual operation along that line these elevators were 
sold and a new company was formed and incorporated, known as the 
Farmers Land, Loan & Grain Company, in which Mr. Walter is a 
stockholder and director. He has other business interests and 
investments, being now the owner of eight hundred acres of valuable 
land in this state. He shows business tact, sound judgment and keen 
discrimination in all of his business affairs and, moreover, he is a 
public-spirited citizen who stands for progress and improvement along 
all possible lines relating to the advancement of the state and the 
promotion of the best interests of the district in which he lives.