John Stuchell Fisher

John Stuchell Fisher
29th Governor of Pennsylvania
In office January 18, 1927 – January 20, 1931
Lieutenant	Arthur James
Preceded by	Gifford Pinchot
Succeeded by	Gifford Pinchot
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate from the 37th district
In office January 1, 1901 – May 16, 1907[1]
Preceded by	James Mitchell
Succeeded by	Theodore Kurtz
Personal details
Born	May 25, 1867 South Mahoning Township, Pennsylvania
Died	June 25, 1940 (aged 73) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Hapsie Miller (1893–1922; her death)
Profession	Teacher, Politician

John Stuchell Fisher (May 25, 1867 – June 25, 1940) was an American politician who served as the 29th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1927 until 1931. A Republican, he had previously served as a Pennsylvania State Senator from 1901 until 1907.

Life and career

Fisher was born in South Mahoning Township, Pennsylvania, in 1867. Fisher graduated from Pennsylvania's Indiana State Normal School (now Indiana University of Pennsylvania) and began his career as a teacher; he then served as principal for schools in Plumville and Indiana, Pennsylvania.

In 1893, Fisher finished his law degree, was admitted into the Pennsylvania Bar, and set up a private practice. He won his first major office, to the Pennsylvania State Senate, in 1900; he was re-elected in 1904 but did not seek re-election in 1908. He would go on to serve on the state's Commission on Constitutional Revision. From 1919 to 1922 he served in the cabinet of Governor William Cameron Sproul as State Commissioner of Banking. He rose to the Governor's office in the 1926 election.

As governor, Fisher focused on fiscal policy, public works, and conservation. Partly due to his efforts to eliminate voting fraud, the state began using mechanical voting machines. The Department of Revenue was established during his term. Fisher's term was marked by a major investment in public works, most notably the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Bridge in Harrisburg. Fisher was nicknamed "The Builder" and during his administration nearly 500,000 acres (2,000 km²) were added to Pennsylvania’s state forests. According to Major Israel McCreight, "Without his vigorous strokes for justice and fair play there would not now be the Cook Forest State Park."^[2]

After leaving office, Fisher became a consultant to his son’s law firm. He would also serve on the boards of several financial establishments as well as Indiana Hospital, the State Normal School in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania State College. He died in Pittsburgh in 1940.

Sources

1. Sharon Trostle, ed. (2009). The Pennsylvania Manual (PDF) 119. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Department of General Services. ISBN 0-8182-0334-X.
2. M.I. McCreight, “Cook Forest Park: Story of the Sixteen Year Battle to Save the Last Stand of Historic Penn’s Woods. The When, The Why and How of It.”, p.101-102 (1936).

• National Governors Association
• Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
• ExplorePAHistory.com
• William Ainsworth Cornell, The Political Career of John S. Fisher, Governor of Pennsylvania 1927-1931 (Indiana, Pennsylvania: MA thesis: State Teachers College, 1947).