William Findley
Encyclopedia
William Findley was an Irish-born farmer and politician from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
. He served in both houses of the state legislature
and represented Pennsylvania
in the U.S. House
from 1791 until 1799 and from 1803 to 1817.
, Ireland
and emigrated to Pennsylvania
in 1763. He first settled in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
, where he married and started a family. In the American Revolution
he served on the Cumberland County Committee of Observation, and enlisted as a private in the local militia, and rose to the rank of captain of the Seventh Company of the Eighth Battalion of Cumberland County Associators. In 1783 he moved his family across the Allegheny Mountains
to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
.
needed revision, he established himself as an effective supporter of what the "best people" considered the radical position in state politics.
In the following years Findley served in the Ninth through Twelfth General Assemblies
and on the Supreme Executive Council
. He was a major opposition voice in the Pennsylvania convention that ratified the federal Constitution
and was a signer of the Minority Dissent. Findley was one of the leaders in the convention that, in 1789, wrote a new Constitution for Pennsylvania
. As an Antifederalist, Findley wrote papers under the name of "An Officer of the Late Continental Army".
After serving in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
, he was elected to the Second Congress from the district west of the mountains in 1791. William Findley served in the Second through the Fifth
congresses. As a voice of reason, in 1794 he helped to calm the passions of the Whiskey Insurrection.
After declining nomination to the Sixth Congress, he was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate
because he allowed his name to be placed on the local ticket to rally western support for Thomas McKean
's campaign for Governor.
Elected to the Eighth
Congress, he served through the Fourteenth
, the turbulent years of the Burr
conspiracy
, the embargo
, and the War of 1812
as a strong supporter of Thomas Jefferson
and James Madison
. He was known as "The Venerable Findley," and because he was the senior representative in years of service, he was in 1811 designated "Father of the House
" the first man to be awarded that honorary title. He died in his home along the Loyalhanna Creek
on April 5, 1821, and is buried in Latrobe
's Unity Cemetery.
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...
. He served in both houses of the state legislature
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...
and represented 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...
in the U.S. House
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from 1791 until 1799 and from 1803 to 1817.
Early years
William Findley was born in UlsterUlster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and emigrated to 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...
in 1763. He first settled in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 235,406.-History:...
, where he married and started a family. In the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
he served on the Cumberland County Committee of Observation, and enlisted as a private in the local militia, and rose to the rank of captain of the Seventh Company of the Eighth Battalion of Cumberland County Associators. In 1783 he moved his family across the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...
.
Public life
Upon arrival in Westmoreland County, Findley was almost immediately elected to the Council of Censors. On this Council, which was to decide whether the radical Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776
The Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 was the state's first constitution following the Declaration of Independence, and has been described as the most democratic in America. It was drafted by Robert Whitehill, Timothy Matlack, Dr. Thomas Young, George Bryan, James Cannon, and Benjamin Franklin...
needed revision, he established himself as an effective supporter of what the "best people" considered the radical position in state politics.
In the following years Findley served in the Ninth through Twelfth General Assemblies
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...
and on the Supreme Executive Council
Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania comprised the executive branch of the Pennsylvania State government between 1777 and 1790...
. He was a major opposition voice in the Pennsylvania convention that ratified the federal Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
and was a signer of the Minority Dissent. Findley was one of the leaders in the convention that, in 1789, wrote a new Constitution for Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Constitution
The current Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, most recently revised in 1968, forms the law for the United States Commonwealth of Pennsylvania...
. As an Antifederalist, Findley wrote papers under the name of "An Officer of the Late Continental Army".
After serving 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....
, he was elected to the Second Congress from the district west of the mountains in 1791. William Findley served in the Second through the Fifth
5th United States Congress
The Fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives...
congresses. As a voice of reason, in 1794 he helped to calm the passions of the Whiskey Insurrection.
After declining nomination to the Sixth Congress, he was elected to 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...
because he allowed his name to be placed on the local ticket to rally western support for Thomas McKean
Thomas McKean
Thomas McKean was an American lawyer and politician from New Castle, in New Castle County, Delaware and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During the American Revolution he was a delegate to the Continental Congress where he signed the United States Declaration of Independence and the Articles of...
's campaign for Governor.
Elected to the Eighth
8th United States Congress
- Senate :* President: Aaron Burr * President pro tempore: John Brown , October 17, 1803 – February 26, 1804** Jesse Franklin , March 10, 1804 – November 4, 1804** Joseph Anderson , January 15, 1805 – December 1, 1805- House of Representatives :...
Congress, he served through the Fourteenth
14th United States Congress
- Senate :* President: Vacant* President pro tempore: John Gaillard of South Carolina, first elected December 4, 1815- House of Representatives :* Speaker: Henry Clay of Kentucky-Members:This list is arranged by chamber, then by state...
, the turbulent years of the Burr
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician...
conspiracy
Burr conspiracy
The Burr conspiracy in the beginning of the 19th century was a suspected treasonous cabal of planters, politicians, and army officers led by former U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr. According to the accusations against him, Burr’s goal was to create an independent nation in the center of North...
, the embargo
Embargo Act of 1807
The Embargo Act of 1807 and the subsequent Nonintercourse Acts were American laws restricting American ships from engaging in foreign trade between the years of 1807 and 1812. The Acts were diplomatic responses by presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison designed to protect American interests...
, and the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
as a strong supporter of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
and James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
. He was known as "The Venerable Findley," and because he was the senior representative in years of service, he was in 1811 designated "Father of the House
Father of the House
Father of the House is a term that has by tradition been unofficially bestowed on certain members of some national legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. In some legislatures the term refers to the oldest member, but in others it refers the longest-serving member.The...
" the first man to be awarded that honorary title. He died in his home along the Loyalhanna Creek
Loyalhanna Creek
Loyalhanna Creek is a long tributary of the Kiskiminetas River in Westmoreland County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The stream is a popular destination for canoeing and recreational trout fishing.- Etymology :...
on April 5, 1821, and is buried in Latrobe
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States, approximately southeast of Pittsburgh.The city population was 7,634 as of the 2000 census . It is located near the Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ridge. Latrobe was incorporated as a borough in 1854, and as a city in 1999...
's Unity Cemetery.
Writings
1796: History of the Insurrection in the Four Western Counties of Pennsylvania in the Year M.DCC.XCIV (1794): With a Recital of the Circumstances Specially Connected Therewith, and an Historical Review of the Previous Situation of the CountryFurther reading
- Caldwell, John. William Findley: A Politician in Pennsylvania, 1783–1791. Gig Harbor, WA: Red Apple Publishing, 2000.
- Eicholz, Hans L. "A Closer Look at 'Modernity:' The Case of William Findley and Trans-Appalachian Political Thought". In W. Thomas Mainwaring, ed., The Whiskey Rebellion and the Trans-Appalachian Frontier. Washington, Pennsylvania: Washington and Jefferson College, 1994, 57–72.