Samuel Ross Hay (1865 – 1944) was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, elected in 1922. Born 15 October 1865 in Decaturville, Decatur County, Tennessee, he was the son of the Rev. William and Martha (England) Hay. His grandfather was an influential local preacher. He was elected Bishop 16 May 1922 and placed in charge of all American Southern Methodist Episcopal Mission work in China. Returning to the United States in 1924, he resided in several episcopal areas in the south and west of the country and assisted in the development of the in Mexico.