Joseph Ritner (March 25, 1780 – October 16, 1869) was the
eighth Governor of the commonwealth of
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, ...
, and was a member of the
Anti-Masonic Party
The Anti-Masonic Party was the earliest third party in the United States. Formally a single-issue party, it strongly opposed Freemasonry, but later aspired to become a major party by expanding its platform to take positions on other issues. After ...
. Elected Governor of Pennsylvania during the
1835 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election
The 1835 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was among three candidates. Incumbent Governor George Wolf ran as an Independent Democrat. In the end Joseph Ritner won the election and became Pennsylvania's only Anti-Masonic governor.
Democrati ...
, he served from 1835 to 1839.
Controversy surrounding his defeat in the
1838 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election sparked the
Buckshot War.
In 1856, Governor Ritner served as a delegate to the first
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...
in
Philadelphia
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. Since ...
.
Early life
Ritner was born in
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philade ...
on March 25, 1780. His parents were of
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
heritage, and Ritner was primarily self-educated, including learning to read and write in English, while also acquiring a working knowledge of German. He moved to
Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to:
Australia
* Cumberland County, New South Wales
* the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia
Canada
*Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
United Kingdom
*Cumberland, historic county
*Cumberla ...
as a teenager, where he worked as a farm hand and laborer until he purchased a farm of his own in
Washington County. In 1801, Ritner married Susan Alter,
and they were the parents of 10 children.
The Washington County farm had been owned by Ritner's wife's uncle, and included a large library, which enabled Ritner to continue his efforts at self-study.
During the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...
, Ritner served first as commander of a Washington County militia company, the Rifle Rangers. He later served as a private with his regiment in western Pennsylvania and
Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
.
Political career
In 1820, Ritner was elected road supervisor in Washington County. Later that year he was elected to 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 ...
as a
Democratic-Republican
The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...
. He was reelected five times, and was
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** In ...
in his final two terms.
Ritner became involved with the Anti-Masonic movement in the late 1820s, and after two defeats by
George Wolf
George Wolf (August 12, 1777March 11, 1840) was the seventh governor of Pennsylvania from 1829 to 1835. On June 29, 1888, he was recognized as the "father of the public-school system" in Pennsylvania by the erection of a memorial gateway at Ea ...
in his bids to become governor, he was finally successful during the 1835 election. A large crowd attended his inaugural ceremonies on December 15, 1835.
When the
Second Bank of the United States lost its federal charter in 1836, Ritner signed legislation giving it a state charter. As a supporter of public education, Ritner prevented repeal of Pennsylvania's Public School Law of 1834, and succeeded in passage of an enhanced public school measure in 1836.
An ardent opponent of slavery, Ritner was the inspiration for an abolitionist poem by
John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892) was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the fireside poets, he was influenced by the Scottish poet ...
, 1836's ''Ritner'', in which Whittier praised the anti-slavery sentiment of the governor's annual message to the state legislature.
Toward the end of his tenure as governor, major changes were effected in Pennsylvania's system of state governance. The Pennsylvania State Constitution was amended, all White freemen over the age of twenty-one were given the right to vote, and the practice of awarding official positions as "life offices" was abolished.
Ritner's reputation, however, was negatively affected by Anti-Masonic efforts to gerrymander state legislative districts for their benefit. In addition, as Anti-Masons attempted to expand their support by taking positions on other issues, including expanded construction of public works. During this time, Ritner was criticized for allegedly using public rail and canal projects as a source of patronage.
When he ran for a second term as a
Whig Party-supported, Anti-Masonic candidate during the controversial
1838 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, which grew increasingly heated as anti-Masonic and anti-abolitionist rhetoric rose, he narrowly lost to
Democratic nominee
David Rittenhouse Porter, who, as a
Grand Master of the Huntingdon Lodge of the
Freemasons
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 ...
, had risen to the level of Deputy Grand Master of his Masonic district. Ritner and his supporters then unsuccessfully attempted to contest the election, including an effort by Ritner to mobilize the state militia, which sparked the
Buckshot War. (The militia were to be armed with buckshot, thus giving the event its name.)
After leaving office, Ritner settled on a farm in Cumberland County. He suffered from cataracts, and surgery in 1839 restored the sight in his right eye, though he remained blind in his left.
With the end of the Anti-Masonic Party, Ritner actively supported the Whigs. In 1849 newly elected Whig President
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...
nominated Ritner for the post of
Director of the United States Mint
The director of the United States Mint is a presidential appointment that requires a Senate confirmation. The incumbent is Ventris Gibson, who became director of the Mint on June 22, 2022, after serving in acting capacity.
When the position o ...
, then in
Philadelphia
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. Since ...
. Taylor died before the nomination was acted on, so Ritner was never confirmed.
Ritner joined the
Republican Party when it was founded in the mid-1850s, and was a delegate to the
1856 Republican National Convention
The 1856 Republican National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that met from June 17 to June 19 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the first national nominating convention of the Republican Party, which had been founded two ...
.
Death and interment
He died on October 16, 1869, and was buried at Mount Rock Cemetery in Mount Rock, Pennsylvania.
Legacy
Governor Ritner has a residence hall named in his honor on the University Park campus of
Penn State. Ritner Street in
Philadelphia
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. Since ...
is also named in his honor.
In 1938, the state of Pennsylvania dedicated the Governor Ritner Highway, which connects
Carlisle and
Shippensburg along Route 11 in Cumberland County.
See also
*
Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
References
External links
Joseph Ritner (biography). Washington, D.C.: National Governors Association, retrieved online December 30, 2022.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritner, Joseph
1780 births
1869 deaths
Politicians from Reading, Pennsylvania
American people of German descent
American militia officers
American militiamen in the War of 1812
Governors of Pennsylvania
Speakers of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania Democratic-Republicans
Pennsylvania Dutch people
Anti-Masonic Party politicians from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Whigs
19th-century American politicians
Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Burials in Pennsylvania
Anti-Masonic Party state governors of the United States
Military personnel from Pennsylvania