George R. Snowden (February 12, 1841 – April 21, 1932) 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, ...

lawyer and military officer who served as commander of the organization now known as the 28th Infantry Division.

Early life

George Randolph Snowden was born in

Franklin, Pennsylvania Franklin is a city and the county seat of Venango County, Pennsylvania. The population was 6,097 in the 2020 census. Franklin is part of the Oil City, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. Franklin is known for its three-day autumn festival in Oc ...

, on February 12, 1841. He was educated locally, studied law, and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1862.

Civil War

In August 1862 Snowden enlisted in the unit which was later designated Company I, 142nd Pennsylvania Infantry. He was commissioned as a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

in September, became the company commander in 1863, and took part in the battles of

Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...

, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. He was a captain when he was discharged in April 1864.

Post-Civil War

Snowden practiced law in Franklin until relocating to

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 1874, and was active in local businesses including the Franklin Gas Company. He also continued his military service as a member 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 pe ...

. He served as commander of the 3rd Infantry

Regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

with the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

, and took part in the military response in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

during the

Great Railroad Strike of 1877 The Great Railroad Strike of 1877, sometimes referred to as the Great Upheaval, began on July 14 in Martinsburg, West Virginia, after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) cut wages for the third time in a year. This strike finally ended 52 day ...

. In 1878 he was promoted to Brigadier General as commander of the 1st Brigade. Besides practicing law, Snowden also served in appointive offices, including Assistant Customs Appraiser for the

Port of Philadelphia The Port of Philadelphia is located on the Delaware River in Philadelphia in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Generally the term applies to the publicly owned marine terminals located within Philadelphia city limits along west bank of the river. Th ...

and Chief Clerk of Philadelphia's

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. It does not produce paper money; tha ...

. When the federal government began to enact civil service reform, Snowden served on the board of examiners for the Philadelphia Customs office. In 1880 he was an unsuccessful

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

candidate for Congress, and he later served on Philadelphia's Select Council. (At the time, the city's legislative functions were carried out by two bodies, the Select Council and the Common Council.)

Later career

In 1890 he was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

as commander of the Pennsylvania National Guard Division, succeeding John F. Hartranft. At the time, the division consisted of three

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. B ...

s and various separate units. Snowden commanded the National Guard during the

Homestead Strike The Homestead strike, also known as the Homestead steel strike, Homestead massacre, or Battle of Homestead, was an industrial lockout and strike that began on July 1, 1892, culminating in a battle in which strikers defeated private security age ...

in July, 1892. He sided with the

Carnegie Steel Carnegie Steel Company was a steel-producing company primarily created by Andrew Carnegie and several close associates to manage businesses at steel mills in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area in the late 19th century. The company was formed ...

owners over the striking union workers, saying "Pennsylvanians can hardly appreciate the actual

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...

of these people. They believe the works are theirs quite as much as Carnegie's." The militia's efforts to curtail the activities of striking workers enabled the owners to reopen with non-union labor.

Retirement

Snowden retired from the military in 1900, and was succeeded as division commander by Charles Miller. In his later years Snowden was one of Philadelphia's Real Estate Assessors. Snowden was active in the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

and

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

. He took part in numerous

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 of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

reunions, as well as the dedication of several monuments and memorials. He was also active in fraternal and civic organizations, including the Masons and the

Sons of the American Revolution The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR or NSSAR) is an American congressionally chartered organization, founded in 1889 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. A non-profit corporation, it has described its purpose ...

. Snowden wrote on military subjects and other topics, and was a popular public speaker. Some of his speeches were republished as articles or pamphlets. In 1971 portions of his Civil War diary were published as ''Home to Franklin! Excerpts from the Civil War Diary of George Randolph Snowden.'' Snowden never married, and had no children.

Death and burial

Snowden died in Philadelphia on April 21, 1932. He was buried in Franklin Cemetery in the city of Franklin, Section D, Lot 19. In 1869 Snowden had been an original incorporator of the cemetery.Brown, Runk & Co.
History of Venango County, Pennsylvania
1890, page 431

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Snowden, George R. 1841 births 1932 deaths People from Franklin, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania lawyers Lawyers from Philadelphia Pennsylvania Democrats Philadelphia City Council members United States Department of the Treasury officials Union Army officers American militia generals National Guard (United States) officers Burials in Pennsylvania American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law Pennsylvania National Guard personnel