Samuel Felton

Born in 1853, Samuel Morse Felton Sr. built a varied career as a newspaper editor, writer, and public official before becoming widely known in railroad leadership. He edited newspapers in Pennsylvania and later held state posts, including secretary of the commonwealth, while continuing to write.

He published fiction as well as nonfiction, and several of his books drew on Western settings and frontier themes. Titles associated with his writing include adventure and railroad-related works, reflecting interests that matched both his reporting background and his later professional life.

Felton is also remembered for his long career in rail transportation, especially with the Pennsylvania Steel Company and major railroad systems in the United States. He died in 1930, leaving behind a career that crossed journalism, government, business, and books.