Hannah Callowhill Penn | |
|---|---|
 An 18th century portrait of Hannah Callowhill Penn | |
| Acting Proprietor of Pennsylvania | |
| In office 1712 – December 30, 1726 | |
| Preceded by | William Penn |
| Succeeded by | John Penn |
| De facto First Lady ofPennsylvania | |
| In office 1696 – 20 July 1716 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Hannah Margaret Callowhill 11 February 1671 Bristol, England |
| Died | 20 December 1726 (aged 55) London, England |
| Spouse | William Penn (1696-1716) |
Hannah Margaret Penn (née Callowhill; 11 February 1671 – 20 December 1726) was an Anglo-American governor. The second wife ofPennsylvania founderWilliam Penn, she effectively administered theProvince of Pennsylvania for six years after her husband suffered a series ofstrokes, and then for another eight years after her husband's death. She served as acting proprietor from 1712 until her death in 1726.
Hannah Margaret Callowhill was born inBristol, England, the daughter of Thomas Callowhill, a merchant there, and Anna (or Hannah) Hollister.
AQuaker, she married William Penn on March 5, 1696, when she was 25 and he was 52 atQuakers Friars in Bristol. She was pregnant with their first of eight children when the couple embarked fromEngland for their three-month voyage to what was thenBritish America in 1699. She lived in great style, both inPhiladelphia and atPennsbury Manor, a beautiful estate located inBucks County, on theDelaware River.
When William Penn died at age 73 on July 30, 1718, his will gave Hannah Penn full control of theProvince of Pennsylvania and his fortune.[1]
William Penn's oldest son by his first marriage,William Penn Jr., sought to dismiss his father's will in order to obtain control of the colony. His suit was unsuccessful, and Hannah Penn remained in charge of the colony until she died from astroke in her son's house inLondon at age 55.[2]
Her deputy in Pennsylvania from 1718 until 1727 wasWilliam Keith.
She is buried in the same grave as William in the Quaker burial ground atJordans in Buckinghamshire, in England.
She had nine children withWilliam Penn:
Hannah Penn is one of the few individuals and the first woman granted the status ofHonorary Citizen of the United States, awarded her byPresidential Proclamation by anAct of Congress (PL. 98-516) byRonald Reagan on November 28, 1984.[3]
When William Penn was laying out the city of Philadelphia in the early 1680s, he named Callowhill Street in his wife's honor. In the 21st century, the neighborhood directly north ofChinatown, which Callowhill Street passes through, became known asCallowhill. Similarly, a street inPerkasie, Pennsylvania, is also named in her honor.[4] A middle school inYork, Pennsylvania, is named in her honor.[4]
Pennsylvania Governor,Tom Corbett, named March 12, 2013 "Hannah Callowhill Penn Day."[5]
Governor Corbett and Mrs. Susan Corbett commissioned a posthumous portrait of Hannah Penn by Pennsylvania portrait artist Ellen Cooper. The portrait was unveiled at a ceremony at the Pennsylvania capitol during Women's History Month, March 19, 2014.[6][7] After being publicly displayed in the governor's reception room for several months, on January 15, 2015, the portrait was hung in the Pennsylvania governor's office among portraits of other early leaders of Pennsylvania.[8] However, as of March 2015 the portrait is in storage; GovernorTom Wolf asked for it to be moved into the governor's reception room, but he said because of safety concerns it was returned to the Historical and Museum Commission.[9] According to Penn Live, "It is likely that it will be sent, for a time, to Pennsbury Manor, the estate from which the Penns first governed the new colony. Then, it is headed to the state museum for an exhibit on Iconic Stories of Pennsylvania."[9]
On March 19, 2014, the Pennsylvania Commission for Women awarded the first Hannah Penn Leadership Awards to honor Pennsylvania women who have been outstanding mentors and role models through their leadership, service and commitment to empowering women and girls in the commonwealth.[10]
A week later she died at the home of her son John in London, following another stroke.
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