Edwin Sydney Stuart

Edwin Stuart

Edwin Sydney Stuart (born December 28, 1853 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , † March 21, 1937 ) was an American politician and from 1907 to 1911 the 25th governor of the state of Pennsylvania.

Early years and political advancement

Edwin Stuart attended public schools in his hometown of Philadelphia. He started working in a Philadelphia bookstore at the age of 13 for $ 3 a week. When the shopkeeper fell ill in 1876, Stuart took over the management of the shop, which he later bought.

In addition to his bookstore, Stuart was also interested in politics. In the late 1870s he joined the Young Republicans , the youth organization of the Republican Party . In 1880 he became president of the organization's Philadelphia chapter and supported the presidential campaign of James A. Garfield . From 1882 he was also President of the Republican Youth Organization in Pennsylvania. He retained both functions until 1886. Then he was elected to the city council. In 1891, Stuart was elected mayor of Philadelphia by an overwhelming majority. Within a week of taking office, he uncovered a scandal involving the chamberlain John Bardsley, who had used public money to speculate wrongly. This caused considerable unrest in the city. Bardsley was immediately arrested and charged along with several accomplices, and later convicted. The mayor appointed a new chamberlain and stabilized the city's finances. That calmed the situation down again. After the end of his tenure as mayor in 1896, Stuart returned to the city council. He played a leading role in the Republican Party of Pennsylvania. In 1906 he was elected as their candidate for the new governor of his state.

Governor of Pennsylvania

Edwin Stuart took up his new office on January 15, 1907. Here, too, he was embroiled in a scandal right at the beginning of his term in office, in which he was not involved. There were financial inconsistencies in the reconstruction of the Capitol, which burned down in 1897 and completed in 1906. An investigation into what was going on was initiated. As a result, several contractors, the chief architect, the former Treasury Secretary of Pennsylvania, and a few others involved in this construction were charged with fraud and convicted. The governor, neither Stuart nor his predecessor, was involved. The process in this case dragged on through most of Governor Stuart's four-year tenure.

Stuart improved the school system. In the field of health care he devoted himself particularly to the fight against tuberculosis. Road construction was also promoted. 550 miles of new roads were built during Stuart's tenure. A railway committee to control the railways was also set up. A state museum was also established in Harrisburg at that time. A constitutional clause prevented Stuart from running for re-election in 1910. Therefore, he resigned on January 17, 1911 from his office.

Further life

After the end of his governorship, Stuart withdrew from politics. In the following years and decades he still held a few offices. Among other things, he was on the supervisory board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. But he no longer aspired to political office.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 4, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• Edwin Sydney Stuart in the database of the National Governors Association (English)
• The governors of Pennsylvania (English)
• Edwin Sydney Stuart in the database of Find a Grave (English)