Samuel W. Pennypacker
Encyclopedia
Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker (April 9, 1843 – September 2, 1916) was the 23rd Governor of Pennsylvania from 1903 to 1907.
, April 9, 1843; son of Dr. Isaac A. Pennypacker and Anna Maria Whitaker; grandson of Matthias and Sarah Anderson (daughter of Isaac Anderson
), and of Joseph and Grace Whitaker. He and his grandfather Whitaker witnessed Abraham Lincoln
's speech outside Independence Hall in February 1861, standing 20 feet (6.1 m) away. Pennypacker's early education was interrupted several times before he answered a call to arms by Governor Andrew Curtin during the Gettysburg Campaign
of the American Civil War
. He enlisted as a private in Company F of the 26th Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia and trained at Camp Curtin
.
He fought in the skirmish at Witmer Farm, north of Gettysburg
on June 26, 1863, an action that saw his newly recruited regiment retreat to Harrisburg
when confronted by veteran Virginia
cavalry
. He left the emergency militia
in late July 1863 and resumed his education.
Pennypacker studied law at the University of Pennsylvania
and opened his own law practice in 1866. His public life began in the 1880s with several judgeships; Pennypacker also wrote extensively as president of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. In 1902, he soundly defeated Robert Pattison, who was seeking a third nonconsecutive term as governor.
During his term in office, Pennypacker signed into law the Child Labor Act of 1905, setting a minimum age and standard for young workers. He created the Pennsylvania State Police
and the State Museum
, and oversaw the completion of the new state capitol building
.
In 1906 he veto
ed what would have been the first compulsory sterilization
law in the United States. At the time of the veto, Pennypacker stated:
"It is plain that the safest and most effective method of preventing procreation would be to cut the heads off the inmates, and such authority is given by the bill to this staff of scientific experts...Scientists like all men whose experiences have been limited to one pursuit...sometimes need to be restrained. Men of high scientific attainments are prone...to lose sight of broad principles outside of their domain...To permit such an operation would be to inflict cruelty upon a helpless class...which the state has undertaken to protect..."
During his time in office, Pennypacker made his home in Schwenksville at Pennypacker Mills
, a 170 acre (0.6879662 km²) farm and mansion
that eight generations of Pennypackers lived in before it was eventually donated to Montgomery County and is now a historic park.
He died at Pennypacker Mills, aged 73, and was buried in Morris Cemetery, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
. Pennypacker Hall at the Penn State University Park
campus is named for him.
Biography
Gov. Pennypacker was born in Phoenixville, PennsylvaniaPhoenixville, Pennsylvania
Phoenixville is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Philadelphia, at the junction of French Creek with the Schuylkill River. The population is 16,440 as of the 2010 Census.- History :...
, April 9, 1843; son of Dr. Isaac A. Pennypacker and Anna Maria Whitaker; grandson of Matthias and Sarah Anderson (daughter of Isaac Anderson
Isaac Anderson (congressman)
Isaac Anderson was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.-Biography:...
), and of Joseph and Grace Whitaker. He and his grandfather Whitaker witnessed Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
's speech outside Independence Hall in February 1861, standing 20 feet (6.1 m) away. Pennypacker's early education was interrupted several times before he answered a call to arms by Governor Andrew Curtin during the Gettysburg Campaign
Gettysburg Campaign
The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...
of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He enlisted as a private in Company F of the 26th Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia and trained at Camp Curtin
Camp Curtin
Camp Curtin was a military training camp in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War.When news of the bombardment and subsequent surrender of Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina reached Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers...
.
He fought in the skirmish at Witmer Farm, north of Gettysburg
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg is a borough that is the county seat, part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the eponym for the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. The town hosts visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park and has 3 institutions of higher learning: Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg College, and...
on June 26, 1863, an action that saw his newly recruited regiment retreat to Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
when confronted by veteran Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
. He left the emergency militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
in late July 1863 and resumed his education.
Pennypacker studied law at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and opened his own law practice in 1866. His public life began in the 1880s with several judgeships; Pennypacker also wrote extensively as president of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. In 1902, he soundly defeated Robert Pattison, who was seeking a third nonconsecutive term as governor.
During his term in office, Pennypacker signed into law the Child Labor Act of 1905, setting a minimum age and standard for young workers. He created the Pennsylvania State Police
Pennsylvania State Police
The Pennsylvania State Police is the state police force of Pennsylvania, responsible for statewide law enforcement. It was founded in 1905 by order of Governor Samuel Pennypacker, in response to the private police forces used by mine and mill owners to stop worker strikes and the inability or...
and the State Museum
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...
, and oversaw the completion of the new state capitol building
Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex
The Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex, located in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is the administrative hub of the government of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. At the center of the complex is the State Capitol with its gilt and marble halls, vast rotunda, murals and sculpture, sparkling...
.
In 1906 he veto
Veto
A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is the power of an officer of the state to unilaterally stop an official action, especially enactment of a piece of legislation...
ed what would have been the first compulsory sterilization
Compulsory sterilization
Compulsory sterilization also known as forced sterilization programs are government policies which attempt to force people to undergo surgical sterilization...
law in the United States. At the time of the veto, Pennypacker stated:
"It is plain that the safest and most effective method of preventing procreation would be to cut the heads off the inmates, and such authority is given by the bill to this staff of scientific experts...Scientists like all men whose experiences have been limited to one pursuit...sometimes need to be restrained. Men of high scientific attainments are prone...to lose sight of broad principles outside of their domain...To permit such an operation would be to inflict cruelty upon a helpless class...which the state has undertaken to protect..."
During his time in office, Pennypacker made his home in Schwenksville at Pennypacker Mills
Pennypacker Mills
Pennypacker Mills is a Colonial Revival mansion surrounded by of farmland located in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania on the shore of the Perkiomen Creek, approximately northwest of Philadelphia. Originally built around 1720, it was purchased in 1747 by Peter Pennebacker, and remained privately owned...
, a 170 acre (0.6879662 km²) farm and mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
that eight generations of Pennypackers lived in before it was eventually donated to Montgomery County and is now a historic park.
He died at Pennypacker Mills, aged 73, and was buried in Morris Cemetery, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
Phoenixville is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Philadelphia, at the junction of French Creek with the Schuylkill River. The population is 16,440 as of the 2010 Census.- History :...
. Pennypacker Hall at the Penn State University Park
University Park, Pennsylvania
University Park, Pennsylvania is an unincorporated community in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is the location of the flagship campus of the Pennsylvania State University....
campus is named for him.
Letters to
- Letter to Samuel W. Pennypacker from George H. Earle, Jr., May 16, 1906