John Andrew Shulze | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 6thGovernor of Pennsylvania | |
| In office December 16, 1823 – December 15, 1829 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Hiester |
| Succeeded by | George Wolf |
| Member of thePennsylvania Senate from the8th district | |
| In office 1821–1823 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Winter |
| Succeeded by | John Harrison |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1775-07-19)July 19, 1775 |
| Died | November 18, 1852(1852-11-18) (aged 77) |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican Jacksonian |
| Spouse | Susan Kimmell (before 1852) |
| Children | 5 |
| Signature | .png) |
John Andrew Shulze (July 19, 1775 – November 18, 1852) was aPennsylvania political leader and the sixthgovernor of Pennsylvania.[1] He was a member of theMuhlenberg family political dynasty.
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Shulze was born inTulpehocken Township in theProvince of Pennsylvania.[2] He was the son of Eve Elizabeth (née Muhlenberg) and the Rev. Christopher Emmanuel Shulze. Shulze was the grandson ofHenry Muhlenberg and the nephew of brothersPeter Muhlenberg andFrederick Muhlenberg, who were leading politicians. Shulze grew up in thePennsylvania Dutch community speaking theirGerman dialect, and for his entire life would speakEnglish with a noticeable accent.
Shulze studied atFranklin College inLancaster, Pennsylvania, and was ordained a minister in theLutheran church in 1796. He left the ministry due to poor health in 1802 and became a merchant inMyerstown, Pennsylvania. Shulze married Susan Kimmell and they had five children together.[3]
Shulze was elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1806 and served three terms. From 1813 to 1821, he served in several low offices inLebanon County. He served as a member of thePennsylvania Senate for the8th district from 1821 to 1823.[4]
In1823, he was electedGovernor of Pennsylvania defeating formerU.S. SenatorAndrew Gregg. A large crowd attended his inaugural ceremonies on December 16, 1823.[5] He was reelected in1826 overJohn Sergeant in one of the most lopsided victories in Pennsylvania political history.[citation needed]
Together withMayor Joseph Watson of Philadelphia, in the mid-1820s Schulze worked to recover young free blacks of a group of about 20 who had been kidnapped from Philadelphia in 1825 and sold into slavery in Mississippi, as well as to prosecute members of theCannon-Johnson gang of Maryland/Delaware for the crimes. In 1826 he issued extradition notices related to them to the states of Virginia, Alabama and Mississippi. None of the white members were convicted. John Purnell, a mulatto member of the gang, was tried in Philadelphia County Court in 1826, convicted of two counts of kidnapping and sentenced to a fine and 42 years in prison. He died five years later in prison.Patty Cannon, considered the leader of the gang, evaded capture. She was indicted on four counts of murder in 1829 after the remains of four blacks were found buried on her land, but she died in jail before being tried, likely a suicide.[6]
Shulze pushed to establish free compulsory education in Pennsylvania. Although it failed to pass during his administration, he laid the groundwork for its adoption and funding under his successor,George Wolf. He also oversaw majorcanal and road building projects in the state.[citation needed]
Shulze declined to run for a third term and retired toMontoursville, Pennsylvania. He returned to public life briefly to become a delegate to the first national convention of theWhig Party in 1839. In 1840, he served as President of Pennsylvania'sElectoral College which electedWilliam Henry Harrison as the ninthPresident of the United States.
He died inLancaster, Pennsylvania, November 18, 1852, and was buried inWoodward Hill Cemetery.[2] His widow and former First Lady of Pennsylvania, Susan Kimmell Shulze, died on October 4, 1860. She is also buried in Woodward Hill Cemetery in Lancaster.
Shulze Hall, located on the campus ofPenn State University, is named in his honor.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic-Republican nominee forGovernor of Pennsylvania 1823 | Succeeded by None |
| First | Jacksonian nominee forGovernor of Pennsylvania 1826 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Henry Winter | Member of thePennsylvania Senate,8th district 1821–1823 | Succeeded by John Harrison |
| Preceded by | Governor of Pennsylvania December 16, 1823 – December 15, 1829 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |
| Other | |
