William Preston Snyder (October 7, 1851 – June 18, 1920) was an American physician and politician who served as President Pro Tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate from 1899–1902 and

Pennsylvania Auditor General The Pennsylvania auditor general is the chief fiscal officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It became an elected office in 1850. The current auditor general of Pennsylvania is Republican Timothy DeFoor. History The office of the auditor ...

from 1904–1907. He was a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

from

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West Eng ...

. In 1908, Snyder was convicted in a graft scandal involving the furnishing of the Pennsylvania State Capitol and received a two-year prison sentence for conspiracy to defraud the state.

Early life and education

Snyder was born in East Vincent Township,

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, ...

, to farmer-parents George and Maria Shenkel Snyder. He attended Millersville State Normal School and

Ursinus College Ursinus College is a private liberal arts college in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1869 and occupies a 170-acre campus. History 19th century In 1867, members of the German Reformed Church began plans to establish a college wh ...

, taught school in 1868 and 1869, and received his MD from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

in 1873. He practiced medicine from 1873 to 1886 and worked as Spring City postmaster from 1883 to 1885. He became a medical examiner for the

Pennsylvania Railroad Company The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

and

prothonotary The word prothonotary is recorded in English since 1447, as "principal clerk of a court," from L.L. ''prothonotarius'' ( c. 400), from Greek ''protonotarios'' "first scribe," originally the chief of the college of recorders of the court of the B ...

of Chester County in 1886.

Political career

In fall of 1890, Snyder 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 ...

and served from 1891 to 1892, when he successfully ran to represent the 19th district in the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealt ...

, which he did from 1893 to 1904. He served as Senate president pro tempore from 1899 to 1902. He chaired the Senate Appropriations and Health and Sanitation committees and served on committees for Congressional Apportionment, Corporations, Education, Finance, Insurance, Judiciary Special, New Counties and New Seats, Mines and Mining, Public Roads and Highways, Railroads and Street Passenger Railways. Snyder was elected

in November 1903, winning by a margin of 237,602 votes. He held the office from 1904 through 1907. Scandal derailed his career when he, along with four other officials, faced charges of conspiracy to defraud the state in connection with the construction and furnishing of the state capitol. Although he maintained his innocence until his death, Snyder was convicted in December 1908, sentenced to two years in prison at the

Eastern State Penitentiary The Eastern State Penitentiary (ESP) is a former American prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located at 2027 Fairmount Avenue between Corinthian Avenue and North 22nd Street in the Fairmount section of the city, and was operational from ...

, and ordered to pay a $500 fine. The state supreme court upheld the conviction and sentence on appeal in March 1910. Snyder served as an elected delegate to the Pennsylvania Republican Conventions of 1878 and 1882 and chaired the Chester County Republican Committee in 1890, resigning when nominated for Senate. He was a

Freemason 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

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

Personal life

Snyder married schoolteacher Elisabeth Friday (or Elizabeth Fridy) in 1868 or 1869. The couple had one son, Thomas. He died on June 18, 1920, more than a year after suffering a paralytic stroke, in

Kimberton, Pennsylvania Kimberton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in East Pikeland Township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The zip code is 19442. Originally settled in the late 18th century, it was not named until 1817. Like ma ...

, at the age of 68 (not at age 69 as reported at the time). He was interred at the East Village Reformed Cemetery in

Spring City, Pennsylvania Spring City is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,494 at the 2020 census. Spring City is a member of the Spring-Ford Area School District. It is situated along the Schuylkill River, which divides Chest ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Snyder, William Preston 1851 births 1920 deaths Politicians from Chester County, Pennsylvania 19th-century American physicians 19th-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians Ursinus College alumni Millersville University of Pennsylvania alumni Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni Pennsylvania Auditors General Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Republican Party Pennsylvania state senators American Freemasons Pennsylvania politicians convicted of corruption Pennsylvania politicians convicted of crimes