author
Samuel Peter Orth
1873–1922
An early 20th-century political scientist and historian, he wrote about immigration, government, and empire in a way that connected public affairs to everyday American life. His career moved between the classroom, the law, and public service, giving his books a practical, wide-angle view of politics.
4 Audiobooks
Our Foreigners: A Chronicle of Americans in the Making
by Samuel Peter Orth
The Boss and the Machine: A Chronicle of the Politicians and Party Organization
by Samuel Peter Orth
The Armies of Labor: A Chronicle of the Organized Wage-Earners
by Samuel Peter Orth
Socialism and Democracy in Europe
by Samuel Peter Orth
About the author
Born in Michigan on August 1, 1873, Samuel Peter Orth became a lawyer, teacher, lecturer, and author whose work centered on politics, government, and history. He studied at the University of Michigan, joined Frederick A. Cook's 1894 expedition to Greenland, and later built an academic career that included teaching at Buchtel College and serving as a professor of political science at Cornell University.
Orth also worked outside academia. In Cleveland he practiced law and served as assistant prosecuting attorney for Cuyahoga County, experience that seems to have sharpened the practical tone of his writing. His books include Our Foreigners: A Chronicle of Americans in the Making and The Imperial Impulse, along with other works on public law, government, and modern politics.
He died on February 26, 1922, at just 48 years old. Though not widely remembered today, Orth wrote during a period when the United States was debating immigration, reform, and its role in the world, and his work offers a clear window into those arguments.