That's a bit odd in the light of the way everyone else is upper-class and furthermore part of the true bloodline, in the way that Aragorn is more qualified to run Gondor than Faramir is even though Aragorn was bushwhacking while Faramir was, er, learning how to rule Gondor, because of who Aragorn's great-grandfather was.
"My Sam Gamgee is indeed a reflexion of the English soldier, of the privates and batmen I knew in the 1914 war, and recognised as so far superior to myself" (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, ed. Humphrey Carpenter).
See also here for Tolkein referring to Sam as the "chief hero" of the story.
Surely Aragorn is more qualified because he understands what a king is for - to defend the people. Faramir is too tied up with family issues, honour etc.
Exactly. Aragorn learned mainly from Elrond, whose domain is a tight-knit community that he leads as a friend and guide. Faramir learned from Denethor, who (even in Tolkien's version) is a cold, distant bureaucrat who doesn't connect properly with his people. It's remarkable that Boromir and Faramir turned out even as well-adjusted as they did.
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"My Sam Gamgee is indeed a reflexion of the English soldier, of the privates and batmen I knew in the 1914 war, and recognised as so far superior to myself" (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, ed. Humphrey Carpenter).
See also here for Tolkein referring to Sam as the "chief hero" of the story.
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