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- Howard Joseph Samuels (December 3, 1919 – October 26, 1984) was an American statesman, industrialist, civil rights activist and philanthropist who served as United States Under Secretary of Commerce and Director of the Small Business Administration under President Johnson, special advisor to the campaign for president by John F. Kennedy and the administration of President Carter. A graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management, Samuels served as a colonel in the Third Army under General George Patton. Upon conclusion of service, Samuels co-founded the . Following the principles he set on his senior thesis, Kordite was the first to produce synthetic products for household consumerism and introduced a number of mainstays including the baggie, wax paper, plastic wrap, disposable kitchenware, and a sturdy trash bag that became the Hefty brand. The success of the company made Samuels one of the wealthiest New Yorkers, and financially able to enter politics. The Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of New York in 1966 on a ticket headed by Frank D. O'Connor, Samuels also contended unsuccessfully for the nomination for Governor three times from 1962 to 1974. He lost the 1970 primary to Arthur Goldberg and the 1974 primary to Hugh Carey. He also served as special aide to New York City Mayor John Lindsay prior to his appointment as the first Chairman of the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation. Samuels is credited with alerting voters to the need for a Constitutional Convention, forming the non-partisan group Citizens Committee for Constitutional Convention. Members included Secretaries of the Health, Education & Welfare and Commerce departments in the Eisenhower administration, numerous Commissioners and administrators to New York State and City agencies, and Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Christopher Dodd. Governor Nelson Rockefeller would later sign the bill. Samuels' foray into national politics was met with resistance and criticism among the traditional political guards of both parties. His resurrection and renewed interpretation of the defunct wartime program spearheaded the SBA into the forefront of the civil rights movement. The agency's program was the first institutionalized affirmative action and reparations policy which he dubbed , or black capitalism. Though hailed by many civil rights activist and minorities alike, the program faced mounting criticism and disapproval from within the Democratic controlled Congress, members of President Johnson's own cabinet and threats of censorship and dismissal from Republican Senators who cited the program as "racism in reverse." As the Vietnam War continued into the 1970s, Samuels became the principal financial backer to numerous war marches including John Kerry's Veterans for Vietnam advocacy group. Samuels became a vocal advocate for drug policy and rehabilitation in New York City and State policy following the arrest of his son, Howard Samuels, and revelation of his addiction to heroin. His pioneering methods in the petrochemical industry and success in the then niche household consumer market translated into posts as Vice President of the Mobil Oil Corporation, Commissioner of the North American Soccer League, and Chairman to Elms Capital Management, Alexander Proudfoot PLC, and Communities In Schools. In 1988, the City University of New York opened the Howard Samuels State Management and Policy Center. (en)
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