Edwin Sydney Stuart

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Edwin Sydney Stuart
Edwin S Stuart 1909.jpg
Edwin S. Stuart circa 1909
24th Governor of Pennsylvania
In office
January 15, 1907 – January 17, 1911
Lieutenant Robert Murphy
Preceded by Samuel Pennypacker
Succeeded by John Tener
75th Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
In office
January 5, 1891 – January 7, 1895
Preceded by Edwin Fitler
Succeeded by Charles Warwick
Personal details
Born (1853-12-28)December 28, 1853
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died March 21, 1937(1937-03-21) (aged 83)
Political party Republican

Edwin Sydney Stuart (December 28, 1853 – March 21, 1937) was a Republican American politician who served as the Mayor of Philadelphia from 1891 to 1895 and as the 24th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1907 to 1911.

Stuart, born in Philadelphia in 1853, was known as The Governor Who Cares following his investigation of scandals involving the building of the Pennsylvania capitol.[1] The investigation resulted in the prosecution and conviction of four individuals. At that time the Governor became known as a sharp-eyed overseer of the public good, and had a habit of involving himself in the operations of many state agencies. His reforms included concentrating power in the Governor's office and abolishing a number of redundant state boards and commissions, replacing them with a single official who was held responsible for results.[1] The Philadelphia Bulletin supported the Governor's reform efforts stating,

There has probably never been a governor of Pennsylvania who has employed the veto power so extensively in dealing with the bills of a single legislative session as Governor Stuart has in the past thirty days. He has prevented scores of crude, ill-considered... bills from becoming laws and he has reduced the improvident appropriation to the extent of more than twenty million dollars. In the midst of all the vetoing it has been difficult for any one to challenge the justice of the governor's judgement. Every veto has rested on a sound reason in the public interest.[1]

Among the bills he vetoed included the building of a statewide system of state roads, a cause he supported, but chose to sacrifice for fiscal prudence and accountability.

Stuart Hall on the campus of Penn State University is named in honor of Governor Stuart.

He is buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.[2]

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b c Woodruff, Clinton Rogers (October 1909). "World today". The World Today: 1103–1105. Retrieved June 9, 2009. 
  2. ^ Edwin Sydney Stuart, The Political Graveyard. Accessed August 29, 2007.

External links [edit]

Political offices
Preceded by
Edwin Fitler
Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1891–1895
Succeeded by
Charles Warwick
Preceded by
Samuel Pennypacker
Governor of Pennsylvania
1907–1911
Succeeded by
John Tener
Party political offices
Preceded by
Samuel Pennypacker
Republican nominee for Governor of Pennsylvania
1906
Succeeded by
John Tener