William Findlay (governor)

William Findlay ( born June 20, 1768 in Mercersburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, † November 12, 1846 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania ) was an American politician and from 1817 to 1820 the 4th Governor of Pennsylvania.

Early years and political rise

William Findlay was a brother of John Findlay (1766 - 1838) and James Findlay (1770-1835), representing each electoral districts of the states of Pennsylvania and Ohio in Congress. He attended the common schools. Afterwards he occasionally worked in agriculture and was a member of the state militia. After studying law, he worked in Franklinton in his new profession.

In 1797 and again from 1804 to 1807 he was a member of the House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Between 1807 and 1817 he was Minister of Finance ( Treasurer ) of his state. In that year he was elected by the so-called " New School " Group of the Democratic-Republican party as the new governor. Then there were in the party a power struggle between two factions. , The " New School " stood for protective tariffs, a federal bank and a financed by the public sector expansion of an infrastructure. opposite side, the so-called "Old School", campaigned for a limitation of government powers and was against the supported of the " New School " programs.

Governor of Pennsylvania

William Findlay took up his new post on 16 December 1817. He was the first governor, who officiated in the new capital of Harrisburg. As the government buildings were not yet completed, he did much of his work from his private apartment. Due to the hostility between the two wings of his party, he had a hard time The "Old School" conducted a study on Findlay's tenure as Minister of Finance and by operation whose ouster as governor. This attempt failed, but hurt the reputation Findlay. An economic crisis in 1819 caused a deterioration of the general circumstances of the country, which also damaged the governor. In the next elections succeeded the "Old School" to beat Findlay. Therefore, he had to resign from office on 19 December 1820.

Further CV

After the end of his governorship Findlay managed election to the U.S. Senate. There he remained 1821-1827. In the Senate he was chairman of the Committee on Agriculture ( Chairman, Committee on Agriculture). In the late 1820s he joined the new founded by Andrew Jackson Democratic Party. Between 1827 and 1841 he was Director of the United States Mint. This office he resigned for health reasons in 1841. He then moved to Harrisburg, where he lived with his only daughter until his death in 1846. William Findlay was married to Nancy Irwin.

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