Representative George Wolf

George Wolf (August 12, 1777 – March 11, 1840) was an American lawyer, legislator, and statesman who served as the seventh governor of Pennsylvania from 1829 to 1835. On June 29, 1888, he was formally recognized as the “father of the public-school system” in Pennsylvania by the erection of a memorial gateway at Easton, commemorating his central role in establishing a statewide system of common schools. Over the course of his public career, he also served multiple terms in the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Jackson Party representing Pennsylvania, and later held important federal financial and customs posts.

Wolf was born in Allen Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, to George and Mary Wolf, who had immigrated to the American colonies from Alsace, then part of France, in 1751. He grew up in what is now present-day Northampton County and received a classical education, including studies at the Wolf Academy in Bath, Pennsylvania, an institution later commemorated by the Governor Wolf Historical Society. After completing his schooling, he taught for a time before turning to the study of law. He was admitted to the bar in 1799 and commenced the practice of law in Easton, Pennsylvania, where he quickly became a prominent member of the local bar and an active participant in civic affairs.

Wolf’s early public service developed alongside the rise of Jeffersonian democracy. He became a member of the Democratic-Republican Party at the beginning of Thomas Jefferson’s administration and was appointed postmaster of Easton, serving in that capacity in 1802 and 1803. He subsequently held the position of clerk of the orphans’ court of Northampton County from 1803 to 1809, gaining experience in probate and family law matters. In 1814 he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where he began to build a reputation as a capable legislator. His growing influence in state politics laid the groundwork for his later election to national office.

Wolf entered Congress in the mid-1820s during a period of significant political realignment in the United States. He was elected without opposition to the United States House of Representatives in 1824 to the Eighteenth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Thomas J. Rogers. He was subsequently reelected to the Nineteenth, Twentieth, and Twenty-first Congresses, serving four terms in all. As a member of the Jackson Party representing Pennsylvania, he contributed to the legislative process during a significant period in American history, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents. In Congress he took the protectionist side in debates on the tariff, reflecting the economic interests of Pennsylvania’s developing industries. During his second term he chaired the Committee on Revolutionary Claims, overseeing matters related to compensation and claims arising from the Revolutionary War.

Aligning himself with the Jacksonian Democratic Party in the late 1820s, Wolf successfully sought the governorship of Pennsylvania. He defeated Joseph Ritner in both the 1829 and 1832 elections, and a large crowd attended his inaugural ceremonies on December 15, 1829. His tenure as governor coincided with a period of social and economic change in the state. Wolf was in office during the 1834 Philadelphia race riot, one of several episodes of civil unrest that marked the era. In the realm of public policy, he persuaded the Pennsylvania legislature to undertake an ambitious program of internal improvements, including the construction of canals, and to impose new taxes for the liquidation of debts already incurred for such projects. He strongly advocated the establishment of a general system of common schools and, by persistent effort, secured the passage and implementation of legislation that created a statewide public-school system where former governors had failed. In the wake of the widely attended hanging of Charles Getter in Easton, which drew as many as 20,000 spectators, Wolf also supported criminal justice reform; on April 10, 1834, he signed a law banning public executions in Pennsylvania.

Wolf’s political fortunes shifted in the mid-1830s. In the 1835 gubernatorial election he lost the governor’s seat to the Anti-Masonic candidate Joseph Ritner. His defeat was due in part to a split within the Democratic ranks, as a portion of the party defected to support Henry A. Muhlenberg, thereby dividing the Democratic vote. Despite this setback, Wolf remained an influential figure in public life. From 1827 to 1840 he served as a trustee of Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, contributing to the governance and development of the institution and underscoring his long-standing interest in education.

Following his gubernatorial service, Wolf continued his career at the federal level. In 1836 President Andrew Jackson appointed him First Comptroller of the Treasury, a senior position in the United States Treasury Department responsible for overseeing the examination and settlement of public accounts. Two years later, in 1838, President Martin Van Buren appointed him Collector of Customs for the District of Philadelphia in a job swap with James Nelson Barker. As Collector of Customs, Wolf supervised the collection of import duties at one of the nation’s most important ports, a position he held until his death. His long tenure in federal office reflected the confidence successive administrations placed in his administrative abilities and financial judgment.

Wolf’s personal life was rooted in Pennsylvania. On June 5, 1798, he married Mary Erb (1781–1833) of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The couple had eight sons and one daughter, and his family connections and community ties reinforced his standing in the state he served throughout his life. He died in office as Collector of Customs on March 11, 1840. His legacy in Pennsylvania is reflected not only in his memorial gateway at Easton but also in the many buildings, schools, and streets named in his honor, including the Governor Wolf Building—constructed in 1893 as the first Easton High School in Easton, Pennsylvania—George Wolf Elementary School in Bath, Pennsylvania, Governor Wolf Elementary School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Wolf Hall at Pennsylvania State University (where his name is also inscribed on the Burrowes Building), Wolf Street in Philadelphia, and Wolf Township in Lycoming County. His papers are preserved at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, documenting the career of a governor and legislator whose advocacy for public education and internal improvements left a lasting imprint on the Commonwealth.