Joseph Ritner

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Joseph Ritner

Joseph Ritner (born March 25, 1780 in Berks County , Pennsylvania , †  October 16, 1869 ) was an American politician and from 1835 to 1839 the eighth governor of the state of Pennsylvania.

Early years

Joseph Ritner came from a family of German descent. He taught himself his school education mainly through self-study. At the age of 13, Ritner began working on a farm in Cumberland County . At that time he was making $ 120 a year. Later he was able to acquire and operate his own farm. In the war of 1812 , Joseph Ritner participated as a simple soldier.

Political rise

After the war, Ritner became head of the Washington County Roads Department; so he had the supervision of all district roads. In 1820 he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He retained this mandate for five legislative terms. During the last two terms of office he was even President ( Speaker ) of the house.

By the late 1820s, negative sentiment against all kinds of secret societies arose in Pennsylvania. This also included the Freemasonry . Although American leaders like George Washington were members of Masonic lodges , there was a belief in Pennsylvania that they were plotting against the state. These prejudices were fueled by some Christian sects. The movement against the Freemasons became so strong that they founded their own, albeit short-lived, party. This party was called the Anti-Masonic Party . As early as 1829 Ritner was nominated as their candidate for the gubernatorial elections. In both 1829 and 1832 he lost in the elections to George Wolf . In 1835, Ritner and his party benefited from a split in the Democrats that sent two candidates into the running. As a result, Ritner was ultimately able to win the elections.

Governor of Pennsylvania

Joseph Ritner took up his new office on December 15, 1835. During his tenure, he campaigned for the school system introduced by his predecessor to be retained. After the end of the Second Bank of the United States brought about by President Andrew Jackson , Governor Ritner hired Nicolas Biddles Bank to handle the financial transactions of Pennsylvania. In return, the state received a generous loan from this bank. Ritner also emerged as a staunch opponent of slavery .

Joseph Ritner was the last Pennsylvania governor to serve under the old 1790 constitution. After him, the new constitution drawn up in 1838 came into force, which, among other things, limited the term of office of the governors to two contiguous terms. The gubernatorial elections of 1838 were highly controversial. On the one hand, the Anti-Masonic Party suffered from the dubious financial conduct of its chairman Thaddeus Stevens ; on the other hand, the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania had recovered from its split. Finally, their candidate David Rittenhouse Porter narrowly won against Joseph Ritner. The latter then contested the election unsuccessfully. The supporters of both sides fought sometimes bloody arguments. Ritner would remain the only governor of Pennsylvania who was a member of the Anti-Masonic Party.

Another résumé

After his election defeat, Ritner resigned from office on January 15, 1839. He then ran a farm in Cumberland County. President Zachary Taylor , elected in 1848, wanted Ritner to head the United States Mint in Philadelphia. However, due to the early death of the president, this appointment did not take place. In the 1850s, Ritner joined the newly formed Republican Party because of his opposition to slavery . In 1856, despite his 76 years, he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention , on which John C. Frémont was nominated as its presidential candidate. Joseph Ritner, who had been blind in one eye since 1839, died in 1869. He was married to Susan Alter, with whom he had seven children.

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personal data
SURNAME Ritner, Joseph
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH March 25, 1780
PLACE OF BIRTH Berks County , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH October 16, 1869