Simon Snyder (November 5, 1759November 9, 1819) was the third

governor of Pennsylvania The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

, serving three terms from 1808 to 1817. He led the state through the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. Born in

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster ( ) is a city in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 58,039 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, eighth-most populous ci ...

, Snyder established a gristmill in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. He was elected as a justice of the peace and served as a delegate to the 1790 Pennsylvania constitutional convention. He served in 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 ...

from 1797 to 1807, and won election as Speaker of the House. A member of the

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed li ...

, he ran for governor in 1805 but was defeated by Thomas McKean. He won election as governor in 1808 and won re-election in

1811 Events January–March * January 8 – An unsuccessful slave revolt is led by Charles Deslondes, in St. Charles and St. James Parishes, Louisiana. * January 17 – Mexican War of Independence – Battle of Calderón ...

and

1814 Events January * January 1 – War of the Sixth Coalition – The Royal Prussian Army led by Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher crosses the Rhine. * January 3 ** War of the Sixth Coalition – Siege of Cattaro: French gar ...

. He was the first governor elected in Pennsylvania who was of German descent, and was also the first governor of Pennsylvania to issue a Thanksgiving Proclamation. Snyder presided over the establishment of

Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...

as the state capital. He strongly supported the War of 1812 and was a candidate for the Democratic-Republican vice presidential nomination in the 1816 presidential election. Following the conclusion of his third term, he was elected to 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 9th Senatorial District but died of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

in 1819 before he began to serve.

Early life

Snyder was born on November 5, 1759, in Lancaster in the

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn, who received the land through a grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania was derived from ...

. His parents were ethnic Germans. Anton Schneider and Agnesa Krämer (née Knippenberg) Schneider reared him in the

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

church. His father was a mechanic, and had immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1744 from Germany, part of a large wave of immigrants from there in the 18th century. The family was for many years associated with the

Moravian Church The Moravian Church, or the Moravian Brethren ( or ), formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestant denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohemian Reformation of the 15th century and the original ...

in Lancaster, consistently listed in membership catalogs of the congregation during the 1760s and 1770s.Records of Lancaster Moravian Church
Moravian Archives, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
After his father's death in 1774, when Snyder was 15, the youth became apprenticed to a tanner 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 ...

, in order to learn a trade. He used his limited leisure time for study. In 1784, Snyder moved to Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, where he opened a gristmill. He was elected as justice of the peace, serving for twelve years. His residence still stands at 121 North Market Street and is now known as the Gov. Simon Snyder Mansion; it is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Marriage and family

In 1790, Snyder married Elizabeth Michael. They had two children. Elizabeth died in 1794 and her widowed husband was left to raise their young children. Snyder quickly remarried, as was common in those days, to Catherine Antes on July 12, 1796. He and his second wife had another five children together. Catherine Antes Snyder died on March 15, 1810, in Selinsgrove and is buried at the First Reformed Church Memorial Garden in

. In 1814, Snyder married Mary Slough Scott, a widow. They remained together until his death in 1819.

Early political career

Snyder began his political career as a justice of the peace. In 1789 he was elected as a delegate to revise Pennsylvania's state constitution in 1790. Following this, he was elected to the

, serving from 1797 to 1807. During this time, he was elected three times as the speaker of the House: in 1804, in 1805, and in 1807. While in the House, Snyder sought the governorship as a Jeffersonian Democrat in 1805, but he was defeated by the

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be ...

governor Thomas McKean, also a Jeffersonian Democrat. A lack of public recognition in comparison to the incumbent contributed to Snyder's losing the election. Snyder sponsored the "Hundred-dollar Act," which embodied the arbitration principle. It provided for the trial of civil cases only when the amount in question was more than one hundred dollars.

Governorship

In 1808, the Jeffersonians united behind Snyder, and he won the election for governor. Snyder ran again in the succeeding elections of 1811 and 1814, easily winning reelection against the

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

candidates William Tilghman, Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and Isaac Wayne, respectively. In 1812, Snyder suggested relocating the capital city of the commonwealth from Lancaster to its present, more central location in

. The General Assembly approved this proposal.

War of 1812

Snyder supported the

wholeheartedly despite Federalist cries of dissent. With the United States emerging undefeated at the end of the war, this criticism subsided. After the war, John Binns supported elevating Snyder to consideration for the vice-presidential slot on President

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

's ticket, but later the governor was disregarded as a possible candidate.

Post governorship

Snyder was elected by the people of Union County, Pennsylvania, to the

in 1818. He died from

in Selinsgrove on November 9, 1819, before taking office. He is buried at the Old Lutheran Cemetery in Selinsgrove.

Legacy and honors

*His gravesite at Old Lutheran Cemetery of Sharon Lutheran Church in Selinsgrove is marked by a monument topped by his bust. *His house at Selinsgrove, known as the Gov. Simon Snyder Mansion, was listed on the

in 1978. It is now a brewery. *''Sy Snyder'' is a pseudonym for the publishers of PoliticsPA, a website dedicated to Pennsylvania politics. * Snyder County, Pennsylvania, is named in his honor. * Snyder Avenue in South

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 ...

, is named in his honor. *A residence hall at

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

is named in his honor.

Notes

Sources

PHMC: Governors of Pennsylvania

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Snyder, Simon 1759 births 1819 deaths American justices of the peace American Lutherans Pennsylvania Dutch people Pennsylvania Democratic-Republicans Governors of Pennsylvania Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania state senators Deaths from typhoid fever in the United States Politicians from Lancaster, Pennsylvania People from Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania People from colonial Pennsylvania Elected officials who died without taking their seats 19th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly Candidates in the 1805 United States elections