Ruth Samuelson

Representative
Ruth Samuelson
Portrait of Ruth Samuelson
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
from the 104th district
In office
January 1, 2007 – January 1, 2015
Preceded byEd McMahan
Succeeded byDan Bishop
Member of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners
from the 5th district
In office
2000–2004
Preceded byTom Cox[1]
Succeeded byDan Bishop[2]
Personal details
Born
Ruth Culbertson

(1959-11-04)November 4, 1959
Charleston, South Carolina
DiedJanuary 23, 2017(2017-01-23) (aged 57)
Charlotte, North Carolina
Political partyRepublican
SpouseKen Samuelson[3]
ChildrenThree sons, one daughter[3]
Alma materUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill[3]

Ruth Culbertson Samuelson (November 4, 1959 – January 23, 2017) was a Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly, representing the 104th district in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 2007 to 2015.[4][5] From 2000 to 2004, Samuelson served as a member of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, representing the Fifth District. In 2004, she ran for an At-Large seat on the Board of Commissioners, but lost in a tight general election race.[6]

In November 2006, Samuelson was elected to the North Carolina House succeeding five-term incumbent Ed McMahan. Samuelson was elected with 67% of the vote in the election, beating Democrat Paula McSwain.[7]

She announced on October 15, 2013, that she would not seek re-election for a fifth term and would leave office at the end of her term, after the 2014 elections.[8]

Samuelson revealed in June 2016 that she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.[9] Later that year she entered hospice care at home.[10]

Samuelson died on January 23, 2017, at the age of 57.[9] A hiking trail in Mecklenburg County has been named in Samuelson's honor.[10]

  1. ^ "Our Campaigns - Mecklenburg County Commissioner - District 5 Race - Nov 07, 2000".
  2. ^ "Our Campaigns - Mecklenburg County Commissioner - District 5 Race - Nov 05, 2002".
  3. ^ a b c Morrill, Jim (17 October 2006). "Fight is on to replace McMahan - in House District 104, Democratic Newcomer Faces Ex-Commissioner". The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte, North Carolina: McClatchy: 2B.
  4. ^ "2011-2012 Report for Rep. Ruth Samuelson - NCCPPR". Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  5. ^ "Ruth Samuelson, former lawmaker, dies at 56". Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  6. ^ "Mecklenburg County North Carolina November 2, 2004 Election Results" (PDF). Charlotte, North Carolina: Mecklenburg County North Carolina Board of Elections. p. 103. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  7. ^ "Mecklenburg County North Carolina 7 November 2006 Election Results" (PDF). Charlotte, North Carolina: Mecklenburg County North Carolina Board of Elections. pp. 130–131. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  8. ^ Morrill, Jim (15 October 2013). "Ruth Samuelson says she won't run for re-election in 2014". Charlotte, North Carolina: The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Charlotte Republican Rep. Ruth Samuelson, one of North Carolina's highest profile lawmakers and a top contender for House speaker, said Tuesday that she won't run for a fifth term.
  9. ^ a b Henderson, Bruce (23 January 2017). "Ruth Samuelson, former lawmaker, dies at 57". The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte, North Carolina: McClatchy.
  10. ^ a b "Samuelson, former lawmaker, receives hospice care at home". 13 January 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.