Born and raised in
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, he settled in
Bethel, Ohio, in 1825. After a term in the
Ohio House of Representatives (1834) and the
Ohio State Senate (1836–38) as a
Jackson Democrat, he purchased a newspaper in
Columbus that became the
Ohio Statesman, which he edited until 1857. He was active at the National Democratic Conventions at
Baltimore in 1844, where he was instrumental in the nomination of
James K. Polk; and at
Cincinnati in 1856, where he was the President pro tem. President
James Buchanan appointed him as the third Territorial
Governor of Minnesota from April 23, 1857, to May 24, 1858. Minnesota became a state on May 11, 1858, and elected
Henry Hastings Sibley as the state's first governor. However, he spent most of this time out of state, resulting on Territorial Secretary
Charles L. Chase declaring himself as acting Governor in October 1857. Samuel Medary was also Governor of
Kansas Territory from December 1858 to December 1860.
William F. Wheeler was territory Librarian and the Governor's Secretary while in office. Returning to Columbus, Ohio, he established a newspaper he named
The Crisis. While living in Columbus, Medary resided at his estate, Northwood Place, located along the Worthington Pike, now North High Street, near Northwood Avenue. Medary was indicted by a federal
grand jury in 1864 for conspiracy against the government and was arrested. He was released on bond, but died in
Columbus, Ohio before he could be tried. ==Legacy==