Archives West Finding Aid

Samuel T. Hauser was born at Falmouth, Kentucky, January 10, 1833, son of Samuel T. Hauser, a prominent lawyer and legislator and his wife Mary Anne Kennett. Young Hauser spent his early life and was educated in the Falmouth area. His academic and practical education completed, he migrated to St. Louis, Missouri in 1854, where several of his mother's relatives were successful businessmen. Hauser began his career as a civil engineer, participating in the construction of several branch railroads in the Missouri area. The outbreak of the Civil War, with its attendant local strife and family controversy, persuaded him to try his luck in the recently discovered gold fields of the Salmon River area. In the spring of 1862, Hauser embarked on one of the first steamboats up the Missouri River. After his arrival at Ft. Benton, he and a party of miners began the cross-country trip to the placer mines. Hard traveling and discouraging reports about the Salmon River claims prevented Hauser's party from completing their journey. They instead followed the rush to the new strike at Bannack. The following year, James Stuart, Hauser and others set out on the now famous Yellowstone Expedition of 1863. While largely unsuccessful, particularly for Hauser (he was wounded by hostile Indians) it did result in the discovery of the fabulous Alder Gulch placers by some members who had failed to join the main party. Sam Hauser later returned to the Yellowstone River area, as a member of the Washburn-Doane Expedition of 1870, which was so influential in the creation of Yellowstone National Park. Hauser quickly established himself as one of the more dynamic and farseeing of Montana's pioneer citizens. In addition to his early interest in placer mining, he, Hezekiah Hosmer and N.P. Langford established one of the first banks at Virginia City, in 1864. This interest in banking later led him to participate in the founding and operation of banks in Helena, Butte, Missoula and Fort Benton. While mining and smelting, and banking were major interests of Hauser's throughout his career, he was also active in many other facets of Montana's economic life. As an officer, founder or major stockholder, Hauser was involved in townsite development, real estate, irrigation, cattle ranching, coal mining and coke roasting, branch railroads, and hydro-electric power. Hauser's mining interests alone caused him to form or participate in more than thirty mining and smelting companies which operated throughout western and central Montana and Northern Id.. These wide and varied business interests were instrumental in the development of the Territory and the young state. His activities drew great sums of eastern capital to Montana and set the pattern for the state's economic future. W.A. Clark, Marcus Daly, C.A. Broadwater and Hauser were the "Big Four" in Montana Territory's Democratic Party. Hauser served as Territorial Governor, 1885-1886, as an appointee of President Cleveland, and was a delegate several times to the Democratic National Convention. He played a large role in the "War of the Copper Kings," largely because of his interest in retaining the capitol for Helena, and because of W.A. Clark's support of Helena in its confrontation with Daly's Anaconda. The decline of silver and national economic panics of the late 19th and early 20th centuries brought Hauser close to ruin. He sought relief in a relatively new industry, the generation and marketing of hydro-electric power. In the latter years of his life, the greatest portion of his energies were spent in this enterprise. Just before his death, natural disaster and competition ended this attempt to recover his financial losses. Samuel T. Hauser's business affairs were closely allied with his family affairs. In 1871 he married Ellen Farrar Kennett who was divorced from James White Kennett, Hauser's second cousin. Ellen had three children Harry Percy Kennett, Samuel Hauser Kennett, and Anne Kennett from her first marriage. Both the Farrar's and the Kennett's were close business associates. Hauser's three sisters married Edward W. Knight, Henry H. Hill, and James Hervey Barbour respectively. Hauser's brothers-in-law and their children were closely involved in his business affairs. His step-daughter Anna married Otis R. Allen, manager of the Helena and Livingston Smelting and Reduction Company. Ellen Farrar Hauser died in 1906. Samuel Hauser died in Helena, Montana, November 10, 1914.