Charles Augustus Barnitz (September 11, 1780 – January 8, 1850) was an American politician who served as an Anti-Masonic member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

for Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district from 1833 to 1835.

Early life and education

Barnitz was born in

York, Pennsylvania York is a city in York County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located in South Central Pennsylvania, the city's population was 44,800 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in ...

to Jacob (of German descent) and Mary McClean Barnitz. He received his education at the York Academy. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1811 and commenced practice in York.

Career

He was a member of the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate 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, stagger ...

for the 11th district from 1815 to 1819. From 1820 until his death he served as agent of the heirs of

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

for their interests in Springettsbury Manor, the center of which is now the city of York. Barnitz was elected as an Anti-Masonic candidate to the Twenty-third Congress. He was not a candidate for reelection in

1834 Events January–March * January 1 – Zollverein (Germany): Customs charges are abolished at borders within its member states. * January 3 – The government of Mexico imprisons Stephen F. Austin in Mexico City. * January – The W ...

to the Twenty-fourth Congress. He resumed the practice of law at York and was also engaged in banking and served as president of the York Bank. He was member of the State constitutional convention in 1838 and a delegate to the Whig National Conventions at

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...

, in

1840 Events January–March * January 3 – One of the predecessor papers of the ''Herald Sun'' of Melbourne, Australia, ''The Port Phillip Herald'', is founded. * January 10 – Uniform Penny Post is introduced in the United Kingdom. * Janu ...

and at

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

, in

1844 In the Philippines, 1844 had only 365 days, when Tuesday, December 31 was skipped as Monday, December 30 was immediately followed by Wednesday, January 1, 1845, the next day after. The change also applied to Caroline Islands, Guam, Marian ...

. He died in York in 1850. Interment in the First Presbyterian Churchyard.

Notes

Sources

The Political Graveyard
*Lawyers and Leaders: The Role of Lawyers in the Development of York County, Pennsylvania, 2005, , York County Bar Association by Georg R. Sheets , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnitz, Charles Augustus 1780 births 1850 deaths American people of German descent Anti-Masonic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Presbyterians from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania lawyers Pennsylvania state senators Pennsylvania Whigs Politicians from York, Pennsylvania 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives