James Ross Snowden (December 9, 1809 – March 21, 1878 ) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic member of the

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. It ...

representing Venango and Clarion counties from 1838 to 1843 and Venango, Jefferson and Clarion counties in 1844. He served as Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1842 and again in 1844. He served as the

Treasurer of Pennsylvania The treasurer of Pennsylvania is the head of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department, an independent department of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), commonwealth's government. The treasurer is elected every four years. Treasurers are limited to two c ...

from 1845 to 1847, as treasurer 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 ...

from 1847 to 1850 and as director of the

from 1853 to 1861.

Early life and education

Snowden was born December 9, 1809, in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area (also known as the Delaware Valley) on the western bank of the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. ...

, to the Rev. Nathaniel Randolph Snowden and Sarah (Gustine). He was educated at

Dickinson College Dickinson College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1773 as Carlisle Grammar School, Dickinson was chartered on September 9, 1783, ...

, received a Master of Arts degree from Jefferson College in 1845 and an honorary doctor of law degree from Washington and Jefferson College in 1875. He studied law, settled in

Franklin, Pennsylvania Franklin is a city in and the county seat of Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States, located at the confluence of French Creek and the Allegheny River. The population was 6,097 in the 2020 census. Franklin is part of the Oil City microp ...

, and joined the Venango County Bar in 1828.

Career

He was made deputy attorney general and was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Venango and Clarion counties from 1838 to 1843 and for Venango, Jefferson and Clarion counties in 1844. He served as speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1842 and again in 1844. As speaker, he signed legislation regarding state debt, regulation of insurance companies, setting election districts and establishing funding for the education of the poor. He was state treasurer from 1845 until 1847, and was also elected colonel in the state militia. Snowden developed an interest in

numismatics Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...

during his work at the United States Mint, and became a noted numismatist of his day. He contributed to such publications as ''

Bouvier's Law Dictionary ''Bouvier's Law Dictionary'' is a set consisting of two or three books with a long tradition in the United States legal community. The first edition was written by John Bouvier. John Bouvier (1787–1851) was born in Codognan, France, but came t ...

'', as well as publishing several numismatic books of his own. During his tenure as Mint director, he was noted for producing restrikes of older United States coins including the 1840s-1850s half cents, 1827 quarter, 1856

Flying Eagle cent The Flying Eagle cent is a one- cent piece struck by the Mint of the United States as a pattern coin in 1856 and for circulation in 1857 and 1858. The coin was designed by Mint Chief Engraver James B. Longacre, with the eagle in flight based ...

and Gobrecht dollars of 1836-39, which he sold to collectors to finance the Mint's collection. He also oversaw the reconstruction of the Mint building and added fireproofing. In 1850, he returned to the practice of law in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and worked as a solicitor for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. In 1861, he became

prothonotary A prothonotary is the "principal clerk of a court," from Late Latin, L.L. ''prothonotarius'' (Wiktionary:circa, c. 400), from Greek ''protonotarios'' "first scribe," originally the chief of the college of recorders of the court of the Byzantine E ...

of the

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Judiciary of Pennsylvania, Unified Judicial System. It began in 1684 as the Provincial Court, and casual references to it as ...

. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Snowden served as lieutenant colonel for the Philadelphia First Regiment of Home Guards but never saw active duty. He died on March 21, 1878, in

Hulmeville, Pennsylvania Hulmeville is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,003 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. History The Hulme family name, originally DeHoulme, is of Normans, Norman orig ...

and was interred at

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 ...

in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Family

He married Susan Engle Patterson in 1848 and together they had five children. His great-grandfather, Nathanael Fitz Randolph, served in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, known as "Fighting Nat," and was presented with a sword by the legislature of

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. He also started the first subscription paper for Princeton College, and gave the ground upon which Nassau Hall, the first edifice of that college, was built. His father was curator of

from 1794 until 1827. His nephew A. Loudon Snowden became superintendent of the Philadelphia office of the United States Mint.

Published works

*
A Measure Proposed to Secure to the People a Safe Treasury and a Sound Currency
', Benjamin F. Mifflin, Philadelphia, 1857 *
A Description of Ancient and Modern Coins in the Cabinet Collection at the Mint of the United States
', J.B. Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia, 1860 *
A Description of the Medals of Washington; of National and Miscellaneous Medals; and of Other Objects of Interest in the Museum of the Mint.
', J.B. Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia, 1861 *''The Mint at Philadelphia'' (1861) *
The Coins of the Bible, and its Money Terms.
', Presbyterian Board of Publication, Philadelphia, 1864 *
The Cornplanter Memorial. An Historical Sketch of Gy-ant-wa-chia - the Cornplanter, and of the Six Nations of Indians.
', Singerly & Myers, Harrisburg, 1867 He contributed articles on the coin of the United States to the ''National Almanac'' of 1873.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Snowden, James Ross 1809 births 1878 deaths 19th-century American male writers American numismatists Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Dickinson College alumni Directors of the United States Mint Lincoln administration personnel Pennsylvania lawyers Pennsylvania prothonotaries Politicians from Chester, Pennsylvania Pierce administration personnel Speakers of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives State treasurers of Pennsylvania Washington & Jefferson College alumni 19th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly