George Wolf

Governor George Wolf was the 7th governor of Pennsylvania, serving from December 15, 1829 to December 15, 1835. He was part of the Jeffersonian Democrat "Family Party." He is best known for establishing Pennsylvania's first statewide public school system, enabling all children of Pennsylvania to receive an education without regard to a family's wealth or social status. For this achievement, Wolf became known as the "Father of the Free School System." He also brought about a general revision of Pennsylvania's statutory laws and new taxes to satisfy the enormous loans by which the State Works program for new railroad and canal routes had been financed. He was buried in the Harrisburg Cemetery.

George Wolf was born in rural Northampton County a year after the signing of Declaration of Independence. Similar to many politicians of the era, Wolf grew up on a family farm. After admission to the bar in 1799, he opened a law office in Easton, then served in a succession of county and state political offices before being elected to the first of three consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1824. 

A Democrat at a time of partisan politics in Pennsylvania and the nation's capital, Wolf secured his party's nomination for governor in 1829. His support for public education, helped him win the fractious state election. Wolf was re-elected three years later but lost his bid for a third term in 1835. Like the cause of public education he championed, Wolf was a victim of the very political system in which he thrived. It was unpopular for a democrat to support public education at the time. However, losing the election did not end Wolf's political career. He was appointed as Comptroller of the United States Treasury and then as Collector of Customs in Philadelphia. He served in that position until he died in March 1840 in Philadelphia.

"Governor George Wolf." Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Accessed March 21, 2017. https://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/governors/1790-1876/george-wolf.html.

"George Wolf Historical Marker." Explore PAHistory. March 22, 2017. https://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-375.