Peter Frederick Rothermel, Jr. (September 27, 1850 – May 26, 1929) 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 A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

and politician. Rothermel was born 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. Sinc ...

, the son of Peter F. Rothermel, a successful artist, and his wife, Caroline Goodhart. After attending various schools in Europe while his father was employed there, Rothermel graduated from Central High School in Philadelphia in 1867. Following his graduation, Rothermel clerked in the law office of

James T. Mitchell James Tyndale Mitchell (November 9, 1834 – July 4, 1915) was an American judge who served on the Philadelphia District Court from 1871 to 1875, the Pennsylvania courts of common pleas from 1875 to 1888, as an associate justice of the Supreme Co ...

, a prominent Philadelphia attorney who would later serve on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

Legal career and family

Rothermel was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1871. For the next fifteen years, he found successful employment as a corporate attorney in Philadelphia representing many of that city's corporate titans, including

John Wanamaker John Wanamaker (July 11, 1838December 12, 1922) was an American merchant and religious, civic and political figure, considered by some to be a proponent of advertising and a "pioneer in marketing". He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a ...

. In 1881, Rothermel married Josephine Bryant, the daughter of Walter Bryant, a coal baron and sister of

Henry Grier Bryant Henry Grier Bryant (November 7, 1859 – December 7, 1932) was an American explorer and writer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Education and early career Henry Grier Bryant was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania in 1859, the son of Walter Bryant, ...

, the explorer. The couple had one son, Peter F. Rothermel, III, born in 1883.

Political career

In 1884, Rothermel considered an attempt at election to City Solicitor, but later withdrew his candidacy. In 1898, Rothermel ran for District Attorney of Philadelphia as a Republican and was elected, defeating

James M. Beck James Montgomery Beck (July 9, 1861 – April 12, 1936) was an American lawyer, politician, and author from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a member of the Republican Party, who served as U.S. Solicitor General and U.S. Representative from ...

. The following year, Rothermel served as prosecutor in the corruption trial of Senator

Matthew Quay Matthew Stanley "Matt" Quay (September 30, 1833May 28, 1904) was an American politician of the Republican Party who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate from 1887 until 1899 and from 1901 until his death in 1904. Quay's control ...

. Quay was found innocent after an eleven-day trial. After his term as District Attorney ended in 1901, Rothermel was refused renomination by the Republican machine politicians, owing to his prosecution of Quay. He was nominated by a group of reformers on a fusion ticket, but failed to be re-elected, losing to future mayor John Weaver. Following his defeat, Rothermel resumed his successful corporate practice. He died on May 26, 1919 at his home on Rittenhouse Square.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rothermel, P. Frederick 1850 births 1929 deaths District Attorneys of Philadelphia Pennsylvania lawyers Pennsylvania Republicans 19th-century American lawyers