Samuel Field Phillips (February 18, 1824 - November 18, 1903) was a civil rights pioneer, lawyer, politician, and U.S. Solicitor General (1872 - 1885). He took part in the landmark civil rights case, Plessy v. Ferguson.

Early life
Samuel Phillips graduated from UNC with highest honors in 1841, earning a master's degree three years later. He began his own law practice in North Carolina and joined the UNC law department as a tutor before embarking on a career in politics, beginning with his election as a Whig to the North Carolina General Assemblies of 1852 and 1854. Phillips served on North Carolina's state court of claims in 1861, and as state auditor from 1862-1864.