George Nicholas Eckert (July 4, 1802 – June 28, 1865) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Whig member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for

Pennsylvania's 14th congressional district Pennsylvania's 14th congressional district is located in the southwestern part of the state and includes all of Fayette County, Greene County, and Washington County, as well as the western part of Westmoreland County. It is represented by Re ...

from 1847 to 1849. He also served as the 7th

Director of the United States Mint The director of the United States Mint is a presidential appointment that requires a Senate confirmation. The incumbent is Ventris Gibson, who became director of the Mint on June 22, 2022, after serving in acting capacity. When the position ...

from 1851 to 1853.

Early life and education

George N. Eckert was born in

Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania Womelsdorf is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,810 at the 2010 census. The main thoroughfares through Womelsdorf are High Street, which runs east–west, and Pennsylvania Route 419, which runs north� ...

. He graduated from the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in 1824 and commenced practice in

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philade ...

. He was one of the organizers of Berks County Medical Society in 1824. He moved to

Pine Grove, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania Pine Grove is a borough in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the borough population was 2,054. Pine Grove Area School District, serving students from three municipalities and multiple surrounding townships, ...

, and engaged in the coal and iron trade.

Political career

Eckert was elected as a Whig to the Thirtieth Congress. He was appointed Director of the

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. It does not produce paper money; tha ...

by President

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...

and served from June 1851 to June 6, 1853. He died in Philadelphia in 1865 and was interred in

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...

References

External links

The Political Graveyard
1802 births 1865 deaths 19th-century American physicians 19th-century American politicians Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Directors of the United States Mint Fillmore administration personnel Pierce administration personnel People from Berks County, Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub