Frederic A. Godcharles
Encyclopedia
Frederic Antes Godcharles (June 3, 1872 – December 30, 1944) was a Pennsylvania
politician, historian and author, who served as soldier and as director of the State Library of Pennsylvania
and State Museum of Pennsylvania
.
, Pennsylvania, the first of five children of Elizabeth (born Burkenbine) and Charles Aiken Godcharles. His four younger siblings were Mary, Charles, Walter, and Elizabeth (the last three were born in Milton
, Pennsylvania
). He married Mary Walls Barber (1880–1952) in Washington D.C. on June 15, 1904. They had no children.
Godcharles was an avid trap shooter
and placed fourth in a professional-amateur shoot. He and his wife moved to Maryland
after his term as Director of the Pennsylvania State Library and Museum, and died in Leonardtown
there after a brief illness, aged 72.
in 1898. He served in the Army again during the First World War, and rose to the rank of captain.
Godcharles was a member of the Republican Party
and served in both houses of the Pennsylvania General Assembly
. Godcharles represented Northumberland County in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
in 1901 and 1902, and represented Union County in the Pennsylvania State Senate
from 1905 to 1908. Interestingly, other sources differ as to his service in the General Assembly: his obituary in the New York Times said he served in the "General Assembly in 1900 and the Pennsylvania Senate from 1904 to 1908", while The Political Graveyard
says he was a member of the "Pennsylvania state senate, 1905-08" and a member of the Pennsylvania delegation to the 1908 Republican National Convention, and the book Union County, Pennsylvania: A Celebration of History lists him as representing Union County, Pennsylvania
in the State Senate from 1909 to 1912.
In 1920 Godcharles was living in Milton, Pennsylvania working as the editor of a weekly newspaper. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for the office of Secretary of Internal Affairs in 1926, and was mentioned as a probable nominee for the same office in 1930.
and Director of the State Museum of Pennsylvania
from 1927 to 1931. He had numerous duties outside the state library and museum. For example, in 1928 Godcharles presided at the dedication of a new museum at the birthpalce of Henry Clay Frick
in Scottdale, Pennsylvania
. He served as the official representative for Pennsylvania Governor John S. Fisher and featured speaker at a Flag Day
parade and ceremony in New York City
in 1929. In 1930 Godcharles was a founding member of the "Society for Pennsylvania Archeology" (SPA) and was elected to its executive board.
The State Museum of Pennsylvania had been founded in 1905, and at the time of his appointment the state librarian was also director of the museum. Godcharles wrote in 1927 that "the Museum was at a standstill. Nothing of importance had been done in this division, nor anything of value added for some years. He sought extra funding and received a budget increase to increase the museum staff to a total of nine, however the state legislature hampered his efforts by requiring over $
11,000 of the budget be kept as a reserve fund instead. It also did not appropriate any additional funds to acquire more "specimens and artifacts". Despite these limitations, 1928 was a record-breaking year for school visits at the museum. In 1929 there were over 20,000 total visitors to the museum and the American Association of Museums ranked it as one of the top sixteen in the United States.
Godcharles' tenure coincided with the beginning of the Great Depression
and the state library and museum budget were cut repeatedly as a result. These and staff cuts led him to write "We have not 'sold' our enterprise to the Legislature or to others who hold the public purse strings. They do appreciate the educational importance of the work proposed. It is for us to educate them." He resigned in 1931, but remained active in the SPA, serving as its president in 1933. In 1936 he was elected president of the Eastern States Archeological Foundation and announced a Works Progress Administration
project to restore a 1643 Swedish settlement on Tinicum Island near Chester
on behalf of the Historical Commission of Pennsylvania, a precursor to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
.
His first book was Freemasonry in Northumberland & Snyder Counties, Pennsylvania (1911, two volumes). His next book grew out of series of newspaper columns he wrote on Pennsylvania history, the self-published Daily Stories of Pennsylvania: Prepared for Publication in the Leading Daily Newspapers of the State (1924). The New York Times review noted it had "a story for each day of the year", many of them originally "widely published in Pennsylvania newspapers on the anniversary of the event or person concerned", and that "Mr. Godcharles succeeds admirably in choosing and bringing out essential facts and relating it all in a readable style."
In 1933 his five-volume Pennsylvania: Political, Governmental, Military and Civil was published, with volumes on Government (I), Political (II), Military (III), Physical (IV), and Biographical (V) history. In 1944 the four-volume Chronicles of Central Pennsylvania was published. He was an editor of an index to the thirty-two volume Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
politician, historian and author, who served as soldier and as director of the State Library of Pennsylvania
State Library of Pennsylvania
The State Library of Pennsylvania is one of the largest research libraries in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Office of Commonwealth Libraries, within the Pennsylvania Department of Education, has holdings in almost every area of human concern...
and State Museum of Pennsylvania
State Museum of Pennsylvania
The State Museum of Pennsylvania is a non-profit museum at 300 North Street in downtown Harrisburg, run by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to preserve and interpret the region's history and culture. It is a part of the Pennsylvania State...
.
Personal life
Godcharles was born on June 3, 1872 in NorthumberlandNorthumberland, Pennsylvania
Northumberland is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,714 at the 2000 census.-History:Northumberland was founded in 1772. The land that became Northumberland was purchased from the Iroquois in the first Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768, and the...
, Pennsylvania, the first of five children of Elizabeth (born Burkenbine) and Charles Aiken Godcharles. His four younger siblings were Mary, Charles, Walter, and Elizabeth (the last three were born in Milton
Milton, Pennsylvania
Milton is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna River, north of Harrisburg. Settled in 1770, it was incorporated in 1817, and is governed by a charter that was revised in 1890...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
). He married Mary Walls Barber (1880–1952) in Washington D.C. on June 15, 1904. They had no children.
Godcharles was an avid trap shooter
Trap shooting
Trap shooting is one of the three major forms of competitive clay pigeon shooting . The others are skeet shooting and sporting clays. There are many versions including Olympic trap, Double trap , Down-The-Line, and Nordic trap. American trap is most popular in the United States and Canada...
and placed fourth in a professional-amateur shoot. He and his wife moved to Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
after his term as Director of the Pennsylvania State Library and Museum, and died in Leonardtown
Leonardtown, Maryland
Leonardtown is a town in and the county seat of St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,896 at the 2000 census. Leonardtown is perhaps most famous for the national oyster-shucking championship that occurs annually at the St...
there after a brief illness, aged 72.
Public service
Godcharles was a member of the U.S. Army in the Spanish-American WarSpanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
in 1898. He served in the Army again during the First World War, and rose to the rank of captain.
Godcharles was a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and served in both houses of the Pennsylvania General Assembly
Pennsylvania General Assembly
The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times , the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly. Since the Constitution of 1776, written by...
. Godcharles represented Northumberland County in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....
in 1901 and 1902, and represented Union County in the Pennsylvania State Senate
Pennsylvania State Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate has been meeting since 1791. It is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such...
from 1905 to 1908. Interestingly, other sources differ as to his service in the General Assembly: his obituary in the New York Times said he served in the "General Assembly in 1900 and the Pennsylvania Senate from 1904 to 1908", while The Political Graveyard
The Political Graveyard
The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 224,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information.-History:...
says he was a member of the "Pennsylvania state senate, 1905-08" and a member of the Pennsylvania delegation to the 1908 Republican National Convention, and the book Union County, Pennsylvania: A Celebration of History lists him as representing Union County, Pennsylvania
Union County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 41,624 people, 13,178 households, and 9,211 families residing in the county. The population density was 131 people per square mile . There were 14,684 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...
in the State Senate from 1909 to 1912.
In 1920 Godcharles was living in Milton, Pennsylvania working as the editor of a weekly newspaper. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for the office of Secretary of Internal Affairs in 1926, and was mentioned as a probable nominee for the same office in 1930.
State librarian and museum director
Godcharles served as Pennsylvania State LibrarianState Library of Pennsylvania
The State Library of Pennsylvania is one of the largest research libraries in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Office of Commonwealth Libraries, within the Pennsylvania Department of Education, has holdings in almost every area of human concern...
and Director of the State Museum of Pennsylvania
State Museum of Pennsylvania
The State Museum of Pennsylvania is a non-profit museum at 300 North Street in downtown Harrisburg, run by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to preserve and interpret the region's history and culture. It is a part of the Pennsylvania State...
from 1927 to 1931. He had numerous duties outside the state library and museum. For example, in 1928 Godcharles presided at the dedication of a new museum at the birthpalce of Henry Clay Frick
Henry Clay Frick
Henry Clay Frick was an American industrialist, financier, and art patron. He founded the H. C. Frick & Company coke manufacturing company, was chairman of the Carnegie Steel Company, and played a major role in the formation of the giant U.S. Steel steel manufacturing concern...
in Scottdale, Pennsylvania
Scottdale, Pennsylvania
Scottdale is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh. Scottdale is the home of the Southmoreland Scotties. Early in the 20th century, Scottdale was the center of the Frick coke interests...
. He served as the official representative for Pennsylvania Governor John S. Fisher and featured speaker at a Flag Day
Flag Day
A flag day is a flag-related holiday—either a day designated for flying a certain flag , or a day set aside to celebrate a historical event such as a nation's adoption of its flag....
parade and ceremony in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1929. In 1930 Godcharles was a founding member of the "Society for Pennsylvania Archeology" (SPA) and was elected to its executive board.
The State Museum of Pennsylvania had been founded in 1905, and at the time of his appointment the state librarian was also director of the museum. Godcharles wrote in 1927 that "the Museum was at a standstill. Nothing of importance had been done in this division, nor anything of value added for some years. He sought extra funding and received a budget increase to increase the museum staff to a total of nine, however the state legislature hampered his efforts by requiring over $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
11,000 of the budget be kept as a reserve fund instead. It also did not appropriate any additional funds to acquire more "specimens and artifacts". Despite these limitations, 1928 was a record-breaking year for school visits at the museum. In 1929 there were over 20,000 total visitors to the museum and the American Association of Museums ranked it as one of the top sixteen in the United States.
Godcharles' tenure coincided with the beginning of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and the state library and museum budget were cut repeatedly as a result. These and staff cuts led him to write "We have not 'sold' our enterprise to the Legislature or to others who hold the public purse strings. They do appreciate the educational importance of the work proposed. It is for us to educate them." He resigned in 1931, but remained active in the SPA, serving as its president in 1933. In 1936 he was elected president of the Eastern States Archeological Foundation and announced a Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
project to restore a 1643 Swedish settlement on Tinicum Island near Chester
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...
on behalf of the Historical Commission of Pennsylvania, a precursor to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage...
.
Author
Godcharles was the author of many works on Pennsylvania history and was awarded a D. Litt.Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
His first book was Freemasonry in Northumberland & Snyder Counties, Pennsylvania (1911, two volumes). His next book grew out of series of newspaper columns he wrote on Pennsylvania history, the self-published Daily Stories of Pennsylvania: Prepared for Publication in the Leading Daily Newspapers of the State (1924). The New York Times review noted it had "a story for each day of the year", many of them originally "widely published in Pennsylvania newspapers on the anniversary of the event or person concerned", and that "Mr. Godcharles succeeds admirably in choosing and bringing out essential facts and relating it all in a readable style."
In 1933 his five-volume Pennsylvania: Political, Governmental, Military and Civil was published, with volumes on Government (I), Political (II), Military (III), Physical (IV), and Biographical (V) history. In 1944 the four-volume Chronicles of Central Pennsylvania was published. He was an editor of an index to the thirty-two volume Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography.