Samuel Pennypacker

Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker (born April 9, 1843 in Phoenixville , Chester County , Pennsylvania , † September 2, 1916 in Schwenksville , Pennsylvania) was an American politician ( Republican Party ) and from 1903 to 1907 the 24th governor of the state of Pennsylvania.

Early years and political advancement

Pennypacker attended the North East Grammar School in Philadelphia and the Grovement Seminary . He then earned his living as a teacher before participating in the civil war in 1863 . After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1866. In 1868 he became director of the Law Academy in Philadelphia. During this time he published several legal treatises; he also wrote books on the early history of the Philadelphia area and was also president of the Pennsylvania Historical Society .

Between 1886 and 1889 Pennypacker was a member of the School Board ( Board of Education ) of Philadelphia. In 1889 he was appointed a judge on an appeals court by Governor James A. Beaver . He held this office until 1900. In 1902 he was elected as the new governor of his state as his party's candidate against the former two-time governor Robert E. Pattison .

Governor of Pennsylvania

Samuel Pennypacker took up his new office on January 20, 1903. During his tenure, a new law regulating child labor was passed in 1905. The governor founded an independent police force in Pennsylvania. He was at war with the freedom of the press. He tried in vain to tell the newspapers how and what to report. During his tenure, the Capitol , which burned down in 1897, was restored. In the settlement of the costs, irregularities occurred that were not accused of the governor, but of some planners and other people involved in the construction. Some were also convicted for it. The scandal surrounding these incidents dragged on into Pennybaker's successor Edwin Sydney Stuart . In 1906, Governor Pennypacker vetoed the passage of a sterilization law.

After his tenure ended on January 15, 1907, Pennypacker returned to practice as a lawyer. He died on September 2, 1916 and was buried in Morris Cemetery in Phoenixville.

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

personal data
SURNAME	Pennypacker, Samuel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Pennypacker, Samuel Whitaker (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	April 9, 1843
PLACE OF BIRTH	Phoenixville , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH	September 2, 1916
Place of death	Schwenksville , Pennsylvania