John Hartranft

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John Hartranft

John Frederick Hartranft (born December 16, 1830 in New Hanover , Montgomery County , Pennsylvania , † October 17, 1889 in Norristown , Pennsylvania) was an American politician and from 1873 to 1879 the 17th governor of the state of Pennsylvania.

Early years

John Hartranft attended Marshall College in Pennsylvania and then Union College in Schenectady ( New York ) until 1853 . He later worked briefly as an engineer for two Pennsylvania railroad companies. Then he helped his father with his real estate business. In 1854 he became a sheriff in Montgomery County. After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1860.

Civil war activities

During the Civil War , he served with two regiments from Pennsylvania at different times. He took part in a number of battles, including the Siege of Vicksburg , Mississippi . In the course of the war he rose to major general. He had his last military command in the summer of 1865 as the commander of the "Old Capitol Prison" prison. He was posted as a special military observer of the trial of the Abraham Lincoln assassins . His polite treatment of Mary Surratt is mentioned, the first woman in the United States to be hanged for her involvement in the Lincoln assassination. On July 7, 1865, Hartranft led the four sentenced to death to execution at Fort Lesley J. McNair .

Political rise

After the war, the former Democrat Hartranft changed his party affiliation and joined the Republican Party . With the help of Simon Cameron , who led the Republicans in Pennsylvania, Hartranft became State Auditor General of Pennsylvania under Governor John White Geary . Cameron also secured his nomination as the party's candidate for the upcoming 1872 gubernatorial election.

Governor of Pennsylvania

John Hartranft took up his new office on January 21, 1873 and, after being re-elected in 1875, could remain in office until January 21, 1879. These six years were overshadowed by an economic depression, which among other things led to an increase in unemployment. This led to riots and strikes, including in the coal mining industry, in which the governor temporarily deployed the national guard and even the regular army to maintain order. In 1877 there was a major railroad workers' strike, which was also put down with the help of the military. On the other hand, the governor managed to keep the budget stable. He campaigned for better school politics and the right to vote for African Americans .

Despite his radical approach to cracking down on strikes, Hartranft recognized the rights of workers and the legitimacy of trade unions in principle. He later also took action against corruption in Simon Cameron's party machine. Also during his tenure, the National Guard was reformed and new bank control laws passed. In 1873 a new state constitution was passed. In it, the legislative periods of the members of the state parliament were extended from one year to two years. The state senators and the governor now got four-year terms; it had only been three years until then. However, the governors were no longer allowed to serve two consecutive terms. In 1876, the 100th anniversary of American independence took place in Philadelphia. In the same year Hartranft was a delegate at the Republican National Convention , at which Rutherford B. Hayes was named a candidate for president.

In 1876 he was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society .

Another résumé

At the end of his second term, which he still served under the provisions of the old constitution, Hartranft returned to Montgomery County, where he was head of the mail room. He also became Commander of the National Guard and Head of Customs in the Port of Philadelphia. Frederick Hartranft died on October 17, 1889. He was married to Sallie Sebring, with whom he had three children.

Web links

Commons : John F. Hartranft  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Member History: John F. Hartranft. American Philosophical Society, accessed September 23, 2018 .