Ephraim Leister Acker (January 11, 1827 – May 12, 1903) was an American newspaperman and educator who served one term as a Democratic 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 ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

from 1871 to 1873.

Early life and career

Ephraim L. Acker was born in

Marlborough Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Marlborough Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,178 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Upper Perkiomen School District. History In 1741, Marlboro Township was partitioned from the ...

. He attended the common schools and the academy at Sumneytown, a village in Marlborough Township. He graduated from Marshall College in

Mercersburg, Pennsylvania Mercersburg is a borough in Franklin County, located near the southern border of Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is southwest of Harrisburg, the state capital. Due to its location in a rural area, it had a relatively large percentage ...

, in 1847. He was a school teacher for two years, and graduated from the

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine The Perelman School of Medicine, commonly known as Penn Med, is the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1765, the Perelman School of Medicine is the oldest medi ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

in March 1852. He was editor and publisher of the ''Norristown Register'' from 1853 to 1877. He served as

superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

of the schools of

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Montgomery County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the List of counties in Pennsylvania, third-most populous county in Pennsylvania and the List of the most populous cou ...

, from June 1854 to June 1860. He was appointed postmaster of Norristown, Pennsylvania in March 1860 by President James Buchanan and after serving eleven months was removed by President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

. He served as inspector of Montgomery County Prison for three years.

Congress

Acker was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-second Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in

1872 Events January–March * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. * February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts on ...

Later career and death

He resumed the publication of his newspaper until 1877, when he began the study of law, graduating from the

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and oldes ...

in 1886. He was admitted to the bar and practiced until his death in Norristown in 1903. He was interred in Norris City Cemetery in East Norriton Township.

References

Sources

The Political Graveyard
1827 births 1903 deaths People from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Physicians from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania lawyers 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania postmasters Franklin & Marshall College alumni Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni 19th-century American politicians University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub