John Andrew Shulze

John Shulze

John Andrew Shulze (born July 19, 1774 in Tulpehocken , Province of Pennsylvania , † November 18, 1852 in Lancaster , Pennsylvania ) was an American politician and from 1823 to 1829 the 6th  governor of the state of Pennsylvania.

Early years and political advancement

On his mother's side, John Shulze came from the Mühlenberg family , who played a significant role in early American history. His father was the Evangelical missionary Emanuel Schultze from Probstzella in Thuringia . Shulze grew up speaking German. Even in later years, his German accent could not be overheard in English. He attended Franklin College and was ordained a Lutheran pastor by the Pennsylvania Ministry in 1796 . In 1802 he gave up his clerical position for health reasons. After recovering, he opened a store in Myerstown .

Shulze's political career began in 1806 when he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He held this mandate for three legislative terms. Between 1813 and 1821 he was employed in various administrative positions in Lebanon County . In 1821 he was re-elected to the state parliament and in 1822 to the Senate of Pennsylvania . In 1823 he won the election for governor of his state.

Governor of Pennsylvania

Shulze took up his new office on December 16, 1823. After re-election in 1826, he was able to officiate until December 15, 1829. During this time, the country's infrastructure was expanded. In addition to the road network, the waterways in particular were promoted. Even at this early stage, the construction of railway lines that would open up the country and connect it with other parts of the east coast was discussed . The actual construction of the railways then took place in the years after Shulze's tenure. A major school reform planned by him could not be politically implemented at the time. The plans were taken up and implemented by his successor George Wolf .

Another résumé

After his governorship ended, Shulze moved to Lycoming County , where he bought and ran a farm. Originally he was a member of the Democratic Republican Party . After their dissolution in the 1820s, he joined the Whigs . In December 1839 he was a delegate to their federal party conference in Harrisburg and in 1840 he was one of the electors for William Henry Harrison , who was elected US President. Then Shulze withdrew from politics. He later moved to Lancaster, where he died in 1852. He was married to Susan Kimmell, with whom he had five children.

Web links

• John Andrew Shulze in the database of the National Governors Association (English)
• The governors of Pennsylvania (English)
• John Andrew Shulze in the database of Find a Grave (English)