Samuel Edward Lees (1843 – 14 June 1916) was an Australian politician. Born in Sydney to painter and glazier Samuel Lees and Caroline Whitehead, he attended William Street National School but was mostly self-educated. He was apprenticed as a printer and ultimately owned his own printing works from around 1869, expanding into several other interests including building companies in the 1880s. On 30 September 1871 he married Sarah Amy Davies, with whom he had five children. From 1879 to 1909 he was a member of Sydney City Council, serving as mayor in 1895 and 1904. In 1887 he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the Free Trade member for Nepean, serving until 1895 and then again from 1898 to 1901. Lees died in 1916 at Potts Point. References 1843 births 1916 deaths Sydney City Councillors Australian Methodists Free Trade Party politicians Mayors and Lord Mayors of Sydney Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Politicians from Sydney 19th-century Australian businesspeople