George W. Scranton
George Whitfield Scranton (born May 11, 1811 in Madison , Connecticut , † March 24, 1861 in Scranton , Pennsylvania ) was an American politician . Between 1859 and 1861 he represented the state of Pennsylvania in the US House of Representatives .
Career
George Scranton was a second cousin of Congressman Joseph A. Scranton (1838-1908). He attended public schools in his home country and Lee's Academy . In 1828 he moved to Belvidere , New Jersey . There he quickly rose from a simple driver of trailer vehicles to a rich businessman. Between 1835 and 1839 he also worked in agriculture. In 1839 he entered the iron industry together with his brother Selden. In Pennsylvania, they founded Lackawanna Iron & Coal Co. and the city of Scranton. The company smelted iron using local anthracite coal. The breakthrough came with the Scranton brothers with the advance of railroad construction in the late 1840s and their metal requirements for rails. The material for the railroad tracks had previously been imported from England . The Scranton company became the second largest steel manufacturer in the world.
George Scranton was also active in the railway business himself and became, among other things, president of two railway companies. At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Republican Party . In the congressional elections of 1858 he was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC , in the twelfth constituency of Pennsylvania , where he succeeded Democrat Paul Leidy on March 4, 1859 . After a re-election he could remain in Congress until his death on March 24, 1861 . This time was shaped by the events in the immediate run-up to the civil war .
Web links
- George W. Scranton in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
- George W. Scranton in the database of Find a Grave (English)
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Leidy |
United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (12th constituency) March 4, 1859 - March 24, 1861 |
Hendrick Bradley Wright |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Scranton, George W. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Scranton, George Whitfield (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 11, 1811 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Madison , Connecticut |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 24, 1861 |
| Place of death | Scranton , Pennsylvania |