Charles Augustus Barnitz (September 11, 1780 – January 8, 1850) was an American politician who served as an Anti-Masonic member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for

Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district is located in the southeast-central part of the state. It includes all of Lancaster County and portions of York County south and east of but not including the city of York. Republican Lloyd Smucker re ...

from 1833 to 1835.

Early life and education

Barnitz was born in

York, Pennsylvania York (Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Yarrick''), known as the White Rose City (after the symbol of the House of York), is the county seat of York County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the south-central region of the state. The populatio ...

to Jacob (of German descent) and Mary McClean Barnitz. He received his education at the York Academy. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1811 and commenced practice in York.

Career

He was a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 11th district from 1815 to 1819. From 1820 until his death he served as agent of the heirs of

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

for their interests in Springettsbury Manor, the center of which is now the city of York. Barnitz was elected as an Anti-Masonic candidate to the Twenty-third Congress. He was not a candidate for reelection in

1834 Events January–March * January – The Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad is chartered in Wilmington, North Carolina. * January 1 – Zollverein (Germany): Customs charges are abolished at borders within its member states. * January 3 � ...

to the Twenty-fourth Congress. He resumed the practice of law at York and was also engaged in banking and served as president of the York Bank. He was member of the State constitutional convention in 1838 and a delegate to the Whig National Conventions at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in

1840 Events January–March * January 3 – One of the predecessor papers of the ''Herald Sun'' of Melbourne, Australia, ''The Port Phillip Herald'', is founded. * January 10 – Uniform Penny Post is introduced in the United Kingdom. * Janu ...

and at

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, in 1844. He died in York in 1850. Interment in the First Presbyterian Churchyard.

Notes

Sources

The Political Graveyard
*Lawyers and Leaders: The Role of Lawyers in the Development of York County, Pennsylvania, 2005, , York County Bar Association by Georg R. Sheets , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnitz, Charles Augustus 1780 births 1850 deaths American people of German descent 19th-century American politicians Anti-Masonic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Burials in Pennsylvania Presbyterians from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania lawyers Pennsylvania state senators Pennsylvania Whigs Politicians from York, Pennsylvania 19th-century American lawyers