Local Legends: King Jack
"King Jack" Samuelson's time in Oxford throughout the mid-20th century took him from businessman to mayor to philanthropist.
By all accounts, Jack Samuelson was one of the most philanthropic and community-minded business owners in post-war Oxford.
Samuelson was born on Aug. 14, 1927 at Reid Memorial Hospital in Spring Grove, Indiana to Loren and Florence (Beckman) Samuelson.
His grandfather, Jacob H. Samuelson, was a Lithuanian Jew who immigrated to the United States as a youth. He first came to Cincinnati before traveling to Indiana.
Originally a small-scale peddler, Jacob Samuelson grew his business and opened a store in Billingsville, Indiana — Samuelson & Son General Merchandise. He later moved it to College Corner, learning English from an unnamed Oxford citizen at some point along the way.
By the time Jack Samuelson was born, his father was running the store. He grew up in the village and graduated from College Corner Union High School.
Not long after, on Oct. 16, 1945, Samuelson enlisted in the United States Navy. Due to his young age, he had barely missed World War II, which had ended the month prior.
Despite this, he served in a Naval Construction Battalion (CB), making him a member of the famed “Navy Seabees.” He was discharged less than a year later as part of the post-war drawdown of the U.S. Military.
Returning from service, Samuelson attended Miami University, graduating in the Class of 1949, and worked at father’s wholesale tobacco store in College Corner for a few years. He married Jean (Zuckerberg) Samuelson, a native of Indianapolis, in April 1954.
That same year, he purchased Ned’s Shop, located at the southwest corner of High and Main Streets in Oxford, and renamed it Jack’s Corner. There, he sold mens and boys clothing.
Samuelson also ran two other businesses: The Loft, a ladies apparel store located above Jack’s Corner, and the Trading Post Gift Shop at Hueston Woods.
Moving to Oxford, Samuelson bought a new home on Hilltop Road, and thrust himself into the Oxford business and social community. Soon he became associated with the Oxford Loan & Building Association and Oxford Natural Gas Company.
Through his role with Oxford Natural Gas, which he later became president of, he helped bring natural gas service to Oxford for the first time in its history. This monumental undertaking required the construction of 515 service lines. By 1963, following its first year in service, the business was supplying a rapidly growing customer base of more than 300 households.
Samuelson was first elected to Oxford Village Council in 1969 and was selected to be Mayor of the newly established City of Oxford following the resignation of Calvin Conrad on Nov. 16, 1971.
Just days later, on Nov. 21, Samuelson was traveling on Route 27 with his wife and child when an oncoming car, driven by an intoxicated driver, crossed the center line and hit their vehicle head-on. Jean Samuelson tragically died en route to the hospital a few hours later.
Samuelson was also gravely injured in addition to his son sustaining injuries. As a result of his injuries, Samuelson wasn’t able to carry out his duties until July 1972 when he returned to preside over the mayor’s court while still on crutches.
When asked about his greatest achievements later in life, Samuelson cited the construction of a new municipal swimming pool, in partnership with Talawanda Recreation Inc. (TRI), and the passage of Oxford’s Civil Rights Ordinance.
The Civil Rights Ordinance was passed following a heated debate and made discrimination based on race and sex illegal in Oxford. The ordinance also established a Department of Community Relations and a Community Relations Committee to hear complaints of discrimination and administer penalties.
On a personal level, Samuelson was a bit of an eccentric, always having a joke ready, routinely wearing exotic hats and driving around town in an English taxi cab.
He also was a true philanthropist, but only a few of his likely many philanthropic endeavors have been recorded in the historical record. One newspaper reported that he paid for long distance phone calls so that foreign exchange students at Western College could call back home.
Another story, published after his death, describes the staff of the Oxford Press pitching in to buy clothing for a needy family around the holidays. They took their money to Jack’s Corner where Samuelson started pulling clothing off the racks. When one of the Oxford Press staff questioned their ability to afford all the clothing Samuelson was grabbing he handed them the clothes and said, “Yes you can, just say it's from Santa, now take it and get out!”
When his time on council ended in November 1973, Samuelson was unofficially appointed “King Jack, The First,” giving him a new nickname. He married Barbara Tench (Stegeman) Samuelson, of Cincinnati, the following year.
Besides serving on council, Samuelson was also heavily involved in the community and served on several local boards, including the McGuffey PTA, Kiwanis Club, Chamber of Commerce and NAACP. He was also an Ohio Commodore and a Kentucky Colonel and was named an Oxford Citizen of the Year in 1963.
Unfortunately, the building that housed his store was sold in 1979 and later razed, putting Jack’s Corner out of business after 25 years. Samuelson went to work as a manager at Harry’s Big & Tall Men’s Clothing Store in Northgate.
Samuelson unexpectedly died on Aug. 19, 1987. His services were handled by Beth Israel Synagogue in Hamilton, and he was buried in Bene Israel Cemetery in Lindenwald.
Brad Spurlock is the manager of the Smith Library of Regional History and Cummins Local History Room, Lane Libraries. A certified archivist, Brad has over a decade of experience working with local history, maintaining archival collections and collaborating on community history projects.
