one of its most forceful attempts to have a candidate elected in Indiana, as it feared the Republican candidate who had publicly condemned the organization. The Klan fell apart in 1926—the year after Ralston's death—after a scandal, revealing that the majority of Indiana's politicians, including Ralston, had ties to the Klan. Ralston won election to the United States Senate from Indiana, defeating Albert Beveridge in November 1922. The New York Times ran a lengthy story on his wife, referring to her as a "Chicken Farmer" because she was reluctant to move to Washington D.C., she did not want to leave her chickens unattended. He took up his Senate seat on March 4, 1923. In the senate he advocated the adoption of the Mellon tax plan, which was effectively a wealth redistribution plan. In 1924 he was the front runner and expected to be the Democratic presidential nominee, but for reasons that were unknown at the time, he dropped out of the race just before the national convention. He later revealed that due to his failing health he did not believe he was fit to become President. His steadily worsening health lead to his death on October 14, 1925, his home near Indianapolis. He was buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Lebanon. Electoral history See also List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–49) List of governors of Indiana References Notes Bibliography Bibliography External links Indiana Historical Bureau: Biography and portrait http://www.ruralhistoryproject.com/reports.asp?F=1&ReportID=14 Indian County History - Ralston Biography Ralston's Biography at the National Governors Association Samuel Ralston at FindAGrave 1857 births 1925 deaths Democratic Party governors of Indiana Indiana lawyers Candidates in the 1924 United States presidential election 20th-century American politicians American people of Scottish descent American Presbyterians People from Tuscarawas County, Ohio People from Lebanon, Indiana Democratic Party United States senators from Indiana People from Owen County, Indiana Canterbury College (Indiana) alumni 19th-century American lawyers