George Wolf

George Wolf
7th Governor of Pennsylvania
In office December 15, 1829 – December 15, 1835
Preceded by	John Andrew Shulze
Succeeded by	Joseph Ritner
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 8th district
In office 1824–1829
Preceded by	Thomas J. Rogers, Samuel D. Ingham
Succeeded by	Peter Ihrie, Jr., Samuel A. Smith
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In office 1814
Personal details
Born	August 12, 1777 Allen Township, Pennsylvania
Died	March 11, 1840 (aged 62) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Resting place	Harrisburg Cemetery
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Mary Erb (1798–1833; her death)

George Wolf (August 12, 1777 – March 11, 1840) was the seventh Governor of Pennsylvania from 1829 to 1835. On June 29, 1888, he was recognized as the “father of the public-school system” in Pennsylvania by the erection of a memorial gateway at Easton.^[1]

Biography

Early years

Wolf was born in Allen Township, Pennsylvania. His parents, George and Mary Wolf, had immigrated from Alsace, a then-province of the Holy Roman Empire, in 1751.^[2] George Wolf was educated at a classical school, taught for some time, and then studied law.^[1] He was admitted to the bar in 1799 and commenced practice in Easton, Pennsylvania. He became a member of the Republican Party at the start of Thomas Jefferson's administration,^[1] and was appointed postmaster of Easton, which office he filled in 1802 and 1803. He was clerk of the orphans’ court of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, from 1803 to 1809. He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1814.

Wolf married Mary Erb (1781–1833) of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on June 5, 1798.^[2] The couple had eight sons and one daughter.^[2]

U.S. House of Representatives

Wolf was elected without opposition to the United States House of Representatives in 1824 to the Eighteenth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Thomas J. Rogers. He was reelected to the Nineteenth, Twentieth, and Twenty-first Congresses. He took the protectionist side in debates on the tariff.^[1]

Governor of Pennsylvania

As member of the Jacksonian Democratic Party, Wolf defeated Joseph Ritner in both 1829 and 1832 to become the Governor of Pennsylvania. He lost the governor's seat to the Anti-Mason candidate Ritner in 1835, owing to the defection of a part of the Democrats, who voted for Henry A. Muhlenberg.^[1]

As governor, Wolf persuaded the legislature to construct canals and impose new taxes for the liquidation of debts that had already been incurred on account of internal improvements. Wolf advocated the establishment of a general system of common schools, and by strenuous efforts accomplished this reform where former governors had failed.^[1]

Later years

In 1836 Andrew Jackson appointed him as first Comptroller of the Treasury. Two years later President Martin Van Buren appointed him as Collector of Customs for the District of Philadelphia in a job swap with James Nelson Barker. He held this office until his death.^[1]

Legacy

Wolf Hall on the campus of Penn State University is named for George Wolf. Wolf Township in Lycoming County is also named for him, as is Wolf Street in Philadelphia. The Governor Wolf Building, built in 1893 as the first Easton High School in Easton, the George Wolf Elementary School in Bath, and the Governor Wolf Elementary School in Bethlehem are also named for Governor Wolf.

Notes

1.  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wilson, James Grant; Fiske, John, eds. (1889). "Wolf, George". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
2. Richards, Miles (2015-01-14). "Exploring History: Pennsylvania's 1st Governor Wolf". Pittsburgh Tribune Review. Retrieved 2015-05-25.

Sources

• Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Biography
• United States Congress. "George Wolf (id: W000673)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• The Political Graveyard

External links

George Wolf at Find a Grave

• The George Wolf papers, containing much of Wolf's correspondence from his time in office, are available for research use at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.