Ezra H. Ripple (February 11, 1842 – November 19, 1909) was a

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, ...

businessman, politician and soldier.

Early life

Ripple was born in Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania in present-day

Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania Jim Thorpe is a borough and the county seat of Carbon County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is historically known as the burial site of Native American sports legend Jim Thorpe. Jim Thorpe is loc ...

, to Silas and Elizabeth (Harris) Ripple. He married Sarah H. Hackett on April 22, 1874, with whom he had five children.

Career

American Civil War

He enlisted in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

in March 1864 and fought in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. He was captured in July 1864 in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

and served three months in the Andersonville Prison, and five in the

Florence Stockade The Florence Stockade, also known as The Stockade or the Confederate States Military Prison at Florence, was a Confederate States of America, Confederate prisoner-of-war camp located on the outskirts of Florence, South Carolina, during the Ameri ...

, from which he escaped but was recaptured. He was honorably discharged June 30, 1865 at Camp Parole, Annapolis. Following the end of the Civil War, he worked in the

crockery Tableware is any dish or dishware used for setting a table, serving food, and dining. It includes cutlery, glassware, serving dishes, and other items for practical as well as decorative purposes. The quality, nature, variety and number of obj ...

business and later in mining as a partner of William Connell & Company.

Pennsylvania National Guard

In 1877, he served as captain of the Citizens' Corps during the Scranton General Strike, and went on to serve as Colonel when the Corps was reorganized into the Thirteenth Regiment, Third Brigade, Pennsylvania National Guard. He was elected as the first treasurer of

Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania Lackawanna County (; unm, Lèkaohane) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania and had a population of 215,896 as of the 2020 census. Its county seat and largest city is Scranton. The county ...

in 1879, and as mayor of

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...

in 1886. He was later appointed commissary general, and then adjutant general of the

Pennsylvania National Guard The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the United States Department of Defense. It traces its roots to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin established the Associators in Philadelphia. With more than 18,000 per ...

. In 1901 he was appointed as Scranton postmaster, and reappointed in 1901, and 1909.

Death

Ripple died November 19, 1909.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ripple, Ezra H. 1842 births 1909 deaths American Civil War prisoners of war Mayors of Scranton, Pennsylvania People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Union Army soldiers