State Secretary Faces Ouster in Insurance Graft Scandal
Sam H. Nichols, under investigation for his role in the insurance department, is expected to step down following mounting political pressure.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Friends of Sam H. Nichols, secretary of state, whose official conduct in connection with the insurance department is now under investigation by a legislative committee, believe that he will very shortly submit his resignation to the governor. It is known that his retirement from public life has been urged by his advisers for several days. Great pressure has been brought to bear and it is the general opinion that Nichols, whose official acts have been seriously compromised by the testimony of State Insurance Commissioner J.H. Schively before the inquisitorial board, will yield to the demands for his retirement. Senator Ruth, a member of the legislative investigation committee, who had a long conference with Secretary Nichols at Everett, Saturday, gives it as his opinion that the secretary will resign from office within a few days. Nichols refuses to discuss the matter.
“It is known that his retirement from public life has been urged by his advisers for several days.”
Political corruption investigations involving the state insurance apparatus have deep roots in Washington. This 1909 crisis reflects the era's ongoing struggle to establish ethical oversight in a government often captured by corporate and insurance interests.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.