John F. Hartranft | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 17th Governor of Pennsylvania | |
| In office January 21, 1873 – January 21, 1879 | |
| Lieutenant | John Latta |
| Preceded by | John W. Geary |
| Succeeded by | Henry M. Hoyt |
| 13thAuditor General of Pennsylvania | |
| In office 1866–1872 | |
| Governor | Andrew Gregg Curtin John W. Geary |
| Preceded by | Isaac Slenker |
| Succeeded by | Harrison Allen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Frederick Hartranft (1830-12-16)December 16, 1830 |
| Died | October 17, 1889(1889-10-17) (aged 58) Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | Montgomery Cemetery (West Norriton Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.) |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Sallie Douglas Sebring |
| Children | 6 |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
| Signature | .png) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
|
| Branch/service | |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank | |
| Unit | 4th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry |
| Battles/wars | |
John Frederick Hartranft (December 16, 1830 – October 17, 1889) was an American politician and military officer who read the death warrant to the individuals who were executed on July 7, 1865, for conspiring to assassinate American PresidentAbraham Lincoln. Previously having achieved the rank ofmajor general of the Union Army during theAmerican Civil War, he had also been awarded the U.S.Medal of Honor for his actions in theFirst Battle of Bull Run.[1]
Post-war, he served as the 17thgovernor of Pennsylvania from 1873 to 1879.[2]
Hartranft was born in Fagleysville, a village inNew Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, nearPottstown, the son of ethnic German Americans Mary Lydia (Bucher) and Samuel Engle Hartranft.[1]
Hartranft had some local schooling in Norristown, where his family moved when he was a boy. He attended Marshall College inMercersburg, a forerunner ofFranklin & Marshall College inLancaster. He moved to New York, where he completed his degree incivil engineering in 1853 fromUnion College inSchenectady.
He briefly worked for two railroads in eastern Pennsylvania before returning home toNorristown to assist his father in the real estate and stage line businesses. In 1854, the young man was appointeddeputy sheriff ofMontgomery County, Pennsylvania. That year, he married Sallie Douglas Sebring. They had six children, but three died in infancy.
Hartranft was active in the Norristown fire company and the localFreemason lodge.[3] After "reading the law" as an apprentice with an established firm, Hartranft was admitted to thebar in 1860. He entered the PennsylvaniaMilitia, being promoted to the rank ofcolonel.
In April 1861, Hartranft raised a Montgomery Countyregiment of 90-day volunteers in Norristown, serving ascolonel of the4th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. When their term of enlistment was up, the regiment returned to Pennsylvania, although it was the eve of theFirst Battle of Bull Run, and firing had already begun. Hartranft was humiliated by his men's decision to go home.
He stayed to fight with theArmy on July 21, 1861. This act earned him theMedal of Honor on August 21, 1886, for volunteering his services to fellow Pennsylvanian Col.William B. Franklin. His citation reads: "Voluntarily served as an aide and participated in the battle after expiration of his term of service, distinguishing himself in rallying several regiments which had been thrown into confusion."[1]
Hartranft raised a three-year regiment, the51st Pennsylvania Infantry, and became its colonel. They first served on theNorth Carolina coast in theBurnside Expedition. Hartranft led them in battle atRoanoke Island andNew Bern. In July 1862, Hartranft's men proceeded toNewport News, Virginia, to become part of Burnside'sIX Corps, with whom they fought in theSecond Battle of Bull Run and atSouth Mountain. They also fought at theBattle of Antietam, where Hartranft led the famous charge acrossBurnside's Bridge, suffering 120 casualties.[4] They later participated in theBattle of Fredericksburg. The 51st Pennsylvania was transferred to theWestern Theater, where Hartranft saw action at the battles ofVicksburg,Campbell's Station, andKnoxville; in the latter two actions, he served as commander of the 2nd Division of the IX Corps while still a colonel.[5]
He commanded the 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, of the IX Corps in the 1864Overland Campaign, participating in the fighting atthe Wilderness andSpotsylvania. He was promoted tobrigadier general as of May 12, 1864. He continued in operations againstRichmond andPetersburg. His brigade distinguished itself in theBattle of Peebles' Farm.
When the IX Corps was reorganized, Hartranft was given command of a new 3rd Division, consisting of newly raised Pennsylvania regiments. Hartranft wasbrevettedmajor general byLt. Gen.Ulysses S. Grant for defeatingConfederate GeneralRobert E. Lee's last offensive at theBattle of Fort Stedman. He brought his untested division from its reserve position and counterattacked to recover the captured fort.[5]
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In the aftermath of the assassination of United States PresidentAbraham Lincoln, Hartranft was appointed both commanding officer of theOld Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C., and as a specialprovost marshal during the trial of those accused in theLincoln assassination:George Atzerodt,David Herold,Lewis Paine (also known as Lewis Powell), andMary Surratt, who would become the first woman to be executed by the U.S. government. The trial lasted from May 9, 1865, until the conviction of the Atzerodt, Herold, Paine, and Surratt in late June. At 1:15 p.m. on July 7, 1865, Hartranft led the four to the gallows in what is now calledFort Lesley McNair. When asked if the convicted had any final statements, the spiritual advisors of Atzerodt and Payne stated that both men wished to thank Hartranft and the officers and soldiers serving under him for the kindness they displayed during their incarceration. Following prayers for each of the prisoners, "Gen. Hartranft read the order of theWar Department, embracing the President's Executive Order, for the execution", according toThe New York Times. The prisoners were then simultaneously executed by hanging at 1:25 p.m.[7][8]
Following the war Hartranft switched party allegiances and became aRepublican. He was appointed to serve in former generalJohn W. Geary's Pennsylvania administration as Auditor General from 1867 to 1873.
Hartranft was elected as governor in1872. He was a strong advocate of education, municipal reform, regulation of banking, improved industry and commerce, and the reorganization of theNational Guard. He supportedsuffrage for African Americans, fought the corruptSimon Cameron political machine, and championed the rights of the workingman.
During his administration, the revision of the Commonwealth's constitution was completed and ratified as the Constitution of 1873. It prohibited special and local legislation; and increased the terms for state legislators: House terms were increased to two years instead of one, and Senate terms to four years from three.
He was elected as a member of theAmerican Philosophical Society in 1876.[9]
He was the 5th commander-in-chief of the Union veterans' organization, theGrand Army of the Republic, serving from 1875 to 1877. He was also a member of theMilitary Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.
TheUnited States celebrated itscentennial as a nation in 1876. Hartranft saw that Pennsylvania led the way in the celebration that was centered inPhiladelphia's Fairmount Park.
At theRepublican National Convention in June 1876, he was a contender for the presidential nomination, butRutherford B. Hayes ofOhio was eventually selected. He had served with Hartranft during the Civil War in the same army corps.
During his second term,economic depression, low wages in industry andunemployment, following the industrial boom of the early 1870s, resulted in national labor unrest and strikes culminating in theGreat Railroad Strike of 1877. Seriouscivil disturbances included riots associated with the railroad and general strikes of 1877 in several industrial cities: including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Reading and Scranton.[a] There were other incidents with theMolly Maguires in theanthracite coal regions. Hartranft called out the state militia and thenRegular Army troops to maintain order. InPhiladelphia,Reading, andPittsburgh, fires were set and extensive railroad facilities and equipment burned, especially in Pittsburgh. Eleven people died along theSchuylkill River before Federal troops restored the peace. Hartranft later proposed recognition oflabor unions and arbitration of claims.
Concerned with the governor's precedent in calling out the militia to battle civilians in Pittsburgh, theDistrict Attorney ofAllegheny County tried to force Hartranft to appear before agrand jury to explain his rationale. The courts backed Hartranft when he refused to appear. Their ruling became known as the "Hartranft Decision."
Hartranft returned to his home in Montgomery County in 1879, where he accepted the position of USPostmaster. He was subsequently appointed as Port Collector for Philadelphia (1881–1885).[10] He was also reappointed to command thePennsylvania National Guard, which he had helped develop.
On August 26, 1886, Hartranft was awarded the Medal of Honor for valor during theFirst Battle of Bull Run in 1861.
John Hartranft died in Norristown and was buried inMontgomery Cemetery inWest Norriton Township, Pennsylvania, nearNorristown. The Pennsylvania National Guard later provided anobelisk for his grave.
He was succeeded as commander of thePennsylvania National Guard Division byGeorge R. Snowden.[11]
| Designations | |
|---|---|
| Official name | John F. Hartranft |
| Type | Roadside |
| Criteria | Civil War, Government & Politics, Government & Politics 19th Century, Governors, Military |
| Designated | May 6, 1947 |
| Location | Sanatoga Rd. & Cross Rd., SW of Fagleysville |
| Marker Text | The birthplace of John F. Hartranft, Civil War hero and Pennsylvania Governor, 1873–79, is to the right on the side road. He reorganized the State Militia as part of the National Guard. |
An equestrian statue was installed next to the Pennsylvania Capitol Building inHarrisburg honors Hartranft.[12] Camp No. 15 of theSons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is named in his honor. Marble monuments at Petersburg and Vicksburg honor his Civil War service. An elementary school in Norristown is named for the governor as well as another elementary school in Philadelphia.
TheHartranft section of North Philadelphia, and a street in thePacker Park section of South Philadelphia near the sports complex, both inPhiladelphia, were also named in his honor. A residence hall at the University Park campus ofPennsylvania State University is named after him. Three avenues inMontgomery County, Pennsylvania, are named in his honor: the first is inNorristown and is the avenue leading to the cemetery in which he is buried. The other avenues are located in nearbyEast Norriton Township and inFort Washington,Upper Dublin Township. A street in theBrookline section ofPittsburgh is also named after him.
Beginning in 1899, a General Hartranft cigar brand was manufactured by C. E. Blair and Sons inHarrisburg.
Rank and organization: Colonel, 4th Pennsylvania Militia. Place and date: At Bull Run, Virginia, July 21, 1861. Entered service at: Norristown, Pennsylvania. Born: December 16, 1830, New Hanover Township, Pennsylvania. Date of issue: August 26, 1886.
Citation:
Voluntarily served as an aide and participated in the battle after expiration of his term of service, distinguishing himself in rallying several regiments which had been thrown into confusion.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Pennsylvania 1872,1875 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Isaac Slenker | Pennsylvania Auditor General 1866–1872 | Succeeded by Harrison Allen |
| Preceded by | Governor of Pennsylvania 1873–1879 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief of theGrand Army of the Republic 1875–1877 | Succeeded by |
