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 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 14th congressional district from 1847 to 1849. He also served as the 7th

Director of the United States Mint The director of the United States Mint is the chief officer of the United States Mint. It is a Appointments Clause, presidential appointment that requires a Senate confirmation. The incumbent is Kristie McNally, who became acting director of the ...

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 2,892 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The main thoroughfares through Womelsdorf are High Street, which runs east–west, and Pennsylvania R ...

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

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1824 and commenced practice in

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; ) is a city in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 95,112 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fourth-most populous ...

. He was one of the organizers of Berks County Medical Society in 1824. He moved to Pine Grove, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, 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 United States Department of the Treasury, 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 bull ...

by President

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800 – March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853. He was the last president to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House, and the last to be neither a De ...

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, also called Laurel Hill East to distinguish it from the affiliated West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, Bala Cynwyd, is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls, Philadelphia, East Falls neighborhood ...

References

External links

The Political Graveyard
1802 births 1865 deaths 19th-century American physicians Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Directors of the United States Mint Fillmore administration personnel Pierce administration personnel Politicians 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 19th-century people from Pennsylvania 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub