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Simon Snyder
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| In office December 20, 1808 – December 16, 1817 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas McKean |
| Succeeded by | William Findlay |
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| Born | November 5, 1759 Lancaster, Pennsylvania |
| Died | November 9, 1819 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican Party |
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Simon Snyder (5 November 1759 – 9 November 1819) was the governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1808 to 1817. A Jeffersonian Democrat, he served three terms as speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives before becoming governor. He led the state through the War of 1812 and, following the conclusion of his term, was elected to the United States Senate, but he died in 1819 before he began to serve. He was the first governor of Pennsylvania to be of German descent.
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Early life
Snyder was born on 5 November 1759 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania to Moravian parents, Anthony and Mary Elizabeth (nee Knippenberg) Snyder. In 1784, Snyder moved to Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, where he opened a gristmill. His residence still stands at 121 North Market Street. In 1790, Snyder married Elizabeth Michael. They had two children. Unfortunately for the Snyders, Elizabeth died in 1794 and left her husband to raise the children. Snyder did, however, remarry. With his second wife, Catherine Antes, he raised another five children. In total, Snyder fathered seven children.
Early political career
Snyder began his political career as the Justice of the Peace. Snyder was elected in 1789 to serve as a delegate to help revise Pennsylvania’s state constitution in 1790. Following this, he ran served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1797 to 1807. During this time, he also served as the speaker of the House three times: in 1804, in 1805, and in 1807. While he was in the House, Snyder also sought the governorship as a Jeffersonian Democrat in 1805 but was defeated by governor Thomas McKean (McKean was also a Jeffersonian Democrat, but he had was not as well liked as Snyder). Due to his lack of public attention, Snyder lost the election.
Governorship
In 1808, the Jeffersonians united behind Snyder and he won the election. Snyder ran again in subsequent elections (in 1811 and 1814) and easily won reelection against Federalists William Tilghman and Isaac Wayne, respectively. In 1812, Snyder also suggested relocating the capital city of the commonwealth from Lancaster to its present location in Harrisburg. The General Assembly approved this request.
War of 1812
Snyder supported the War of 1812 wholeheartedly despite Federalist cries of dissent. With the victory 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’s ticket, but later he was disregarded as a possible candidate.
Post governorship
Snyder was elected in 1818 to serve in the United States Senate. Unfortunately, he died on 9 November 1819, before he was able to serve. His gravesite is marked by a monument topped by his bust at Sharon Lutheran Church in Selinsgrove.
Legacy
Sy Snyder is now used as a pseudonym for the publishers of PoliticsPA, a website dedicated to Pennsylvania politics.
A residence hall at Penn State University is named in his honor.
His house at Selinsgrove, known as the
Sources
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://www.nr.nps.gov/.
PHMC: Governors of Pennsylvania
External links
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Thomas McKean |
Governor of Pennsylvania 1808–1817 |
Succeeded by William Findlay |
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