Robert Wharton (January 12, 1757 – March 7, 1834) was the longest-serving

mayor of Philadelphia The mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Philadelphia. The current mayor of Philadelphia is Cherelle Parker, who is the first woman to hold the ...

. Wharton was born in Philadelphia, January 12, 1757, the son of Joseph Wharton, a successful merchant. At an early age he left his studies, and was apprenticed to a hatter. He entered the counting-house of his brother

Samuel Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...

, a Philadelphia merchant, but he spent much of his time in outdoor sports, and until 1818 was president of the famous

fox-hunting Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, normally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of houn ...

club of Gloucester, New Jersey that was organized in 1766. In 1790 he became a member of the

Schuylkill Fishing Company The Schuylkill Fishing Company of Pennsylvania, also known as the State in Schuylkill, was the first angling club in the Thirteen Colonies and remains the oldest verified continuously operating social club in the English-speaking world. History Th ...

, a social club, of which he was president 1812–1828.

Political career

Wharton was a member of the

Philadelphia city council The Philadelphia City Council is the legislative body of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is composed of 17 councilmembers: ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large from throughou ...

from 1792 till 1795. In 1796 he was made

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

of that city, and in the same year quelled a riot among sailors who had organized themselves into a body and demanded higher wages. After reading the riot act, he requested they disperse, and, being received with shouts of defiance, Wharton ordered each of his men "to take his man," and the sailors were captured and imprisoned. He quelled the Walnut Street Prison riot in 1798 and also took part in suppressing others. He was elected mayor of Philadelphia sixteen times between 1798 and 1824. After serving two one-year terms, 1798–1800, he declined nomination in 1800. He served three more terms, 1806–1808 and 1810–1811, then on being re-elected in 1811, he declined to serve. Subsequently, he served nine more terms, 1814–1819 and 1820–1824. His 14 elections to the office make him the longest-serving and most-elected mayor in Philadelphia's history.

Military service

Wharton became a member of the

First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry The First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, also known as the First City Troop, is a unit of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. It is one of the oldest military units in the United States still in active service and is among the most decor ...

in 1798 and served as its captain from 1803 to 1811. In 1810, the six troops of cavalry in the city were organized into a regiment, of which Wharton was elected colonel. Later, he was elected brigadier-general of the state militia. He was vice-president of the Washington Benevolent Society, of which he was an original member. Wharton married Salome Chancellor. He died in Philadelphia, March 7, 1834. He was buried at Friends Western Burial Ground at 16th and Race Street in Philadelphia.

References

External links

Biographical sketch
under Thomas Wharton {{DEFAULTSORT:Wharton, Robert 1757 births 1834 deaths 18th-century mayors of places in Pennsylvania 19th-century mayors of places in Pennsylvania Mayors of Philadelphia American militia generals Wharton family People from colonial Pennsylvania People of Pennsylvania in the American Revolution