Samuel Roper (Klansman)

For other people named Samuel Roper, see Samuel Roper (disambiguation).

Samuel W. Roper (April 10, 1895 – March 1, 1986) was an American law enforcement official and Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).

Samuel Roper
6th Imperial Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
In office August 18, 1949 – 1950
Preceded by	Samuel Green
Succeeded by	Eldon Edwards
Personal details
Born	(1895-04-10)April 10, 1895 Trussville, Alabama, U.S.
Died	March 1, 1986(1986-03-01) (aged 90) Chiefland, Florida, U.S.
Cause of death	Kidney failure

Roper was an Atlanta, Georgia police officer and the second Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. After leaving law enforcement in 1949, Roper succeeded Samuel Green as Imperial Wizard of the KKK, and held that position until 1950.^[1] His successor was Eldon Edwards.^[2] He has also been directly implicated in the September 12, 1936, lynching and Thomas Finch in Atlanta, Georgia.^[3]

Roper moved to Florida in 1972 and was a resident of Chiefland, Florida at the time of his death. He died of kidney failure at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Gainesville, Florida on March 1, 1986.