John Peter Shindel Gobin (January 21, 1837 – May 1, 1910) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as an officer in the Union Army during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, as 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 17th district from 1885 to 1898 and as the seventh

lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania The lieutenant governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The lieutenant governor is elected for a four-year term in the same year as the governor of Pennsylvania, governor. Each party picks a candidate for lieutena ...

. Cited for valor multiple times during the Civil War, Gobin was promoted repeatedly, becoming the final commanding officer of the

47th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment The 47th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, officially the 47th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry and sometimes referred to simply as the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the Ameri ...

, which was the only regiment from Pennsylvania to serve during the Union's 1864 Red River Campaign across Louisiana.

Early life and education

Gobin was born in

Sunbury, Pennsylvania Sunbury ( ) is a city and the county seat of Northumberland County in Pennsylvania, United States. Located in the Susquehanna Valley, Sunbury is positioned on the east bank of the Susquehanna River. Sunbury's roots stretch back to the early ...

on January 21, 1837, the oldest of four children of Samuel and Susanna Gobin Shindel. He was educated locally and became an

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in ...

at the ''Sunbury American'' newspaper, where he was trained as a

printer Printer may refer to: Technology * Printer (publishing), a person * Printer (computing), a hardware device * Optical printer for motion picture films People * Nariman Printer (fl. c. 1940), Indian journalist and activist * James Printer (1640 ...

. He then

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

with M. L. Shindel and John K. Clement, the father of Charles M. Clement, with whom Gobin later served in the National Guard. Gobin was admitted to the bar in 1858, and began to practice in Sunbury.

Civil War

In 1861, Gobin enlisted for 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 ...

and was commissioned a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

in Company F of the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry. After the unit's three-month term of service expired Gobin organized Company C of the 47th Pennsylvania Infantry, which he commanded as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. The 47th Pennsylvania served throughout the rest of the war, primarily in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, and Gobin rose through the ranks to become the

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

and commander. Major General

Philip H. Sheridan Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularized the n ...

rewarded Gobin for his performance at the Battle of Pocotaligo in

by recommending him for the

brevet rank In military terminology, a brevet ( or ) is a warrant which gives commissioned officers a higher military rank as a reward without necessarily conferring the authority and privileges granted by that rank. The promotion would be noted in the of ...

of brigadier general. On July 6, 1866, U.S. President Andrew Johnson nominated Gobin for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865, and the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

confirmed the appointment on July 23, 1866. Near the end of the war he commanded 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XIX Corps. After the surrender of the

Confederacy A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

, Gobin served as a

Provost Marshal Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, '' provosts'', from the Old French (Modern French ). While a provost marshal is now usually a senior c ...

in South Carolina and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

until he was mustered out of the service on January 9, 1866.

Post-Civil War

After the war Gobin moved to

Lebanon, Pennsylvania Lebanon ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,814 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Lebanon was founded by George Steitz in 1740 and was originally named ...

and resumed the practice of law. He was also active in the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...

and the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or, simply, the Loyal Legion, is a United States military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Union Army. The original membership was consisted ...

. From 1897 to 1898 he was the G.A.R.'s national commander. In addition to practicing law, Gobin was active in several businesses, including the local gas lighting company, the First National Bank of Lebanon, the City Mutual Fire Insurance Company and the Cornwall & Lebanon Railroad. Gobin also carried out several civic responsibilities, including member of the board of trustees of Pennsylvania's Soldiers' and Sailors' Home, member of the board of commissioners of the Soldiers' Orphans Home, and member of the board of commissioners of the Gettysburg Monument Association.

Political career

A Republican, Gobin was elected to the

for the 17th district in 1884 and served from 1885 to 1899. He was the body's President pro tempore from 1891 through 1893. In 1898 Gobin was elected

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, and he served from 1899 to 1903.

Continued military service

In 1870 Gobin returned to military service as a member of the

Pennsylvania Army National Guard The Pennsylvania Army National Guard, abbreviated PAARNG, is part of the United States Army National Guard and is based in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Together with the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, it is directed by the Pennsylv ...

, commanding a company in Lebanon called the Coleman Guards with the rank of captain. In 1874 he was named commander of the 8th Regiment with the rank of colonel. In 1885 he was promoted to brigadier general as commander of the 3rd Brigade. In 1898 Gobin was appointed to command his brigade when it was federalized for the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. He led his brigade during mobilization and training near

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

, but resigned in order to run for lieutenant governor, and returned to National Guard service in Pennsylvania. In 1906 he was promoted to major general as commander of the Pennsylvania National Guard Division, succeeding Charles Miller. He commanded the division until he retired in 1907, and was succeeded by

John A. Wiley John A. Wiley (September 3, 1843 – December 28, 1909) was a Pennsylvania business executive, American Civil War, Civil War veteran, and Army National Guard, National Guard officer who attained the rank of Major General (United States), major g ...

Additional activities

Gobin was also a member of the

Freemasons Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

, and

Odd Fellows Odd Fellows (or Oddfellows when referencing the Grand United Order of Oddfellows or some British-based fraternities; also Odd Fellowship or Oddfellowship) is an international fraternity consisting of lodges first documented in 1730 in 18th-cen ...

. He served as Grand Master of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar in North America from 1889 to 1892.

Death and burial

Gobin died in Lebanon on May 1, 1910. He was interred at Mt. Lebanon Cemetery in

References

External links

Biographical Sketch

The Honorable John Peter Shindel Gobin (47th Pennsylvania Volunteers: One Civil War Regiment's Story)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gobin, John Peter Shindel 1837 births 1910 deaths American Freemasons American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American militia generals Lieutenant governors of Pennsylvania National Guard (United States) officers Pennsylvania lawyers Republican Party Pennsylvania state senators People from Sunbury, Pennsylvania Politicians from Northumberland County, Pennsylvania People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Presidents pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate Union army colonels 19th-century American lawyers Grand Army of the Republic officials 19th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly