[1] Sam Dewitt is most famous for being expelled in 1920 from the New York State Assembly along with four fellow assemblymen for being members of the Socialist Party.

The five Socialists were barred from taking their seats at the beginning of the session of the 143rd New York State Legislature and, after a protracted "trial" before the Assembly Committee on the Judiciary, defended by Morris Hillquit and Seymour Stedman, were expelled on April 1.

The next day, DeWitt and Samuel Orr were permitted to take their seats, but August Claessens, Charles Solomon and Louis Waldman were expelled again.

DeWitt authored a regular column called "Turn to the Left," in which he expounded upon his political beliefs.

"It is quite possible that he erred when he instructed you to treat Socialists who believed in achieving revolution through democracy in other lands, as enemies of the workers.

[5] In a last-gasp effort to retain power, New York Socialist Party State Chairman Waldman called a snap reorganizational meeting on 3 days' notice after the certification of the primary results, to be held in the distant city of Buffalo, as was his prerogative under that state constitution.

In Sinclair's famous muckraking novel The Jungle, published in 1906, one of the main characters, Nicolas Schliemann, is said to be based on Sam DeWitt.

The firm bought and sold used machinery and equipment, and included among its services the liquidation of defunct industrial plants.