Grover Cleveland Talbot (April 23, 1885 – December 21, 1935) was an American politician 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, ...

who served as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

for Delaware County from 1925 to 1934 and as the 70th Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1933 to 1934.

Early life and education

Talbot was born in

East Coventry Township, Pennsylvania East Coventry Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 7,068 at the 2020 census. History The township derives its name from Coventry, England, the native home of an early settler. Fricks Locks Hi ...

and attended public schools in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. After high school, he worked in the Talbot Coal Company owned by his father and as a

lumberman Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. In 1914, he moved back to Pennsylvania and worked as director of the Tinicum Bank in

Essington, Pennsylvania Tinicum Township, more popularly known as "Tinicum Island" or "The Island", is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The population was 4,091 at the 2010 census, down from 4,353 at the 2000 census. Included within the townships boundarie ...

. He also worked as a director of the Essington Bank & Loan and the Norwood Bank & Loan. He served as first sergeant in company G of the Pennsylvania Reserve Militia from 1918 to 1919 during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Career

Talbot was elected in the Borough of

Norwood, Pennsylvania Norwood is a borough that is located in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,890 at the time of the 2010 census. History The Morton Morton House is located at the confluence of the Muckinipattis Creek and Darby ...

as registry assessor in 1917, to city council from 1918 to 1921 and as chief burgess from 1921 to 1925. Talbot was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Delaware County and served from 1925 to 1934 including as the 116th Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1933 to 1934. Talbot authored two bills known as the Talbot Acts. The first Talbot Act allocated $10 million in unemployment assistance during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. In 1931, the bill became law as Act 7E, without the signature of Governor Gifford Pinchot. The constitutionality of the law was challenged, and in 1932, it was deemed to be constitutional by the

Pennsylvania Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme J ...

. The ruling set a precedent and determined the state's constitutional right to appropriate funds for unemployment relief. The funding for the first Talbot Act proved inadequate, and in 1932, Talbot introduced the second Talbot Act (Act 52), which provided an additional $12 million in unemployment aid. A third piece of legislation, the Hagmaier Sales Tax Act (Act 53), was implemented, which enacted a sales tax of 1% for six months on all retail sales, except farm products, in order to fund the second Talbot Act. Talbot was not a candidate for reelection to the House in 1934. He had an unsuccessful campaign for Lieutenant Governor in 1935. In 1935, Talbot was named the president of the Pennsylvania Retail Coal Dealers Association. Talbot died in an automobile accident in

Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania Drexel Hill is a neighborhood and census-designated place (CDP) located in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. The population was 29,181 at the 2020 census, up from 28,043 at the 2010 census, and accounting for over a third of Upper Darby's population. G ...

and is interred at the Mt. Zion Cemetery in

Darby, Pennsylvania Darby is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is located along Darby Creek southwest of Center City, Philadelphia, Center City Philadelphia. The borough of Darby is distinct from the near ...

Personal life

Talbot was married to Elizabeth Moore Riddick and together they had two daughters. He was a member of the

Free & Accepted Masons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

and the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Talbot, Grover Cleveland 1885 births 1935 deaths 20th-century American legislators American bankers American Freemasons American loggers American military personnel of World War I Burials in Pennsylvania Speakers of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania city council members Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Politicians from Delaware County, Pennsylvania Road incident deaths in Pennsylvania 20th-century Pennsylvania politicians