John Weaver (mayor): Difference between revisions

John Weaver
John Weaver
Mayor of Philadelphia
	In office; 1903–1907
Personal details
Born	October 5, 1861; Stourport-on-Severn, England
Died	March 18, 1928 (aged 66)
Political party	Republican

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John Weaver (October 5, 1861 – March 18, 1928) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a Republican mayor of Philadelphia from 1903 to 1907.

Early life and career

John Weaver was born in Stourport-on-Severn, England in 1861, the son of Benjamin Weaver and Elizabeth Wilks Weaver.^[1] After his mother died in 1874, Weaver found his prospects in England to be dim, and emigrated to the United States in 1881.^[2]^[3] On arriving there, he went to work as a messenger boy and later as a clerk at John Wanamaker's department store in Philadelphia.^[3] He became a naturalized American citizen in 1889.^[2] In 1885, he married Emily Jennings, the sister of his co-worker, William Nicholson Jennings.^[4] He became a member of Russell Conwell's Temple Baptist Church in the city's Tioga section, where he taught Sunday school.^[5]

Weaver studied shorthand at night and became a stenographer for a local attorney, John Sparhawk.^[3] Sparhawk encouraged him to study law, and he did so, being admitted to the bar in 1890.^[3] When Sparhawk's health began to fail, Weaver took over much of his practice, and soon became a respected local attorney.^[3] Weaver's success drew the attention of Philadelphia's Republican political machine, which was then the dominant political force in the city. When the ring's leader perceived that District Attorney P. Frederick Rothermel was becoming too independent, they nominated Weaver, a political unknown, instead.^[3] Rothermel ran against Weaver as an independent, but Weaver defeated him by a substantial margin.^[6]

As district attorney, Weaver showed signs of the same independence that imperiled Rothermel's position with the party, including initiating prosecution for voter fraud against a local politician.^[3] Despite this, the ring deemed Weaver reliable enough to nominate him for mayor in 1903, his independence being thought to be an advantage in blunting the arguments of the growing reform movement in the city.^[5] Weaver was elected by a large majority over Francis Fisher Kane, the Democrats' nominee.^[7]

Mayor

Weaver began his term as mayor without controversy, routinely awarding city contracts to members of the political establishment, as his political patrons expected.^[8] His first conflict with the machine came in 1905, when the City Councils passed a bill to lease the city's natural gas works to the United Gas Improvement Company for seventy-five years.^[8] The company was controlled by members of the Republican establishment, and the no-bid long-term lease was suspected by reformers as a way to keep gas prices high and insure profit for connected industrialists.^[9] Weaver got word of the bill when he was fishing in Canada. The proposed sale had by that time caused widespread outrage among the Philadelphians, and Weaver wrote a letter promising to veto the measure when he returned.^[8]

After vetoing the bill, Weaver removed two ring men who had helped facilitate the proposed sale, the Director of Public Works, Peter E. Costello, and the Director of Public Safety, David J. Smyth.^[10] This attack on the ring turned them forcefully against Weaver, who was quickly embraced by the reformers.^[11] Weaver, term-limited, left office in 1907. He returned to his private law practice, working in that field until his death in 1928.^[12] He was buried in Mount Peace Cemetery in Philadelphia.

References

^ Stewart 1905, p. 603.
^ ^a ^b Passport 1922.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Stewart 1905, p. 604.
^ Silcox 1993, p. 14.
^ ^a ^b The New York Times 1902.
^ The New York Times 1901.
^ The New York Times 1903.
^ ^a ^b ^c Stewart 1905, p. 605.
^ Allen 1906, pp. 155–157.
^ Allen 1906, p. 164.
^ Stewart 1905, p. 606.
^ The New York Times 1928.

Sources

"Death Certificate". Ancestry.com. March 22, 1928.
"Passport Application". Ancestry.com. June 6, 1922.
"Result in Pennsylvania" (PDF). The New York Times. November 7, 1901.
"For Philadelphia's Mayor" (PDF). The New York Times. December 28, 1902.
"Philadelphia's New Mayor" (PDF). The New York Times. February 18, 1903.
"Ex-Mayor Weaver of Philadelphia Dead". The New York Times. March 19, 1928.
Allen, Philip Loring (1906). America's Awakening: The Triumph of Righteousness in High Places. New York, New York: Fleming H. Revell Company. OCLC 3353081.
Silcox, Harry C. (1993). Jennings' Philadelphia: The Life of Philadelphia Photographer William Nicholson Jennings (1860–1946). Holland, Pennsylvania: Brighton Press. OCLC 29150597.
Stewart, William R. (October 1905). "The Real John Weaver". Cosmopolitan. 39 (6): 601–606.

External links

Media related to John Weaver (mayor) at Wikimedia Commons

Legal offices
Preceded by P. Frederick Rothermel	District Attorney of Philadelphia 1902–1903	Succeeded by John C. Bell
Political offices
Preceded by Samuel Howell Ashbridge	Mayor of Philadelphia 1903–1907	Succeeded by John E. Reyburn

[FOOTNOTEStewart1905603-1] Stewart 1905, p. 603.

[FOOTNOTEPassport_1922-2] Passport 1922.

[FOOTNOTEStewart1905604-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Stewart 1905, p. 604.

[FOOTNOTESilcox199314-4] Silcox 1993, p. 14.

[FOOTNOTEThe_New_York_Times_1902-5] The New York Times 1902.

[FOOTNOTEThe_New_York_Times_1901-6] The New York Times 1901.

[FOOTNOTEThe_New_York_Times_1903-7] The New York Times 1903.

[FOOTNOTEStewart1905605-8] Stewart 1905, p. 605.

[FOOTNOTEAllen1906155–157-9] Allen 1906, pp. 155–157.

[FOOTNOTEAllen1906164-10] Allen 1906, p. 164.

[FOOTNOTEStewart1905606-11] Stewart 1905, p. 606.

[FOOTNOTEThe_New_York_Times_1928-12] The New York Times 1928.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|American politician}}
-[[File:Mayor John Weaver.png|thumb|upright|Mayor John Weaver at his office]]
-'''John Weaver''' (October 5, 1861 - March 18, 1928) was an [[United States|American]] lawyer and politician who served as [[mayor of Philadelphia]] from 1903 to 1907.
+{{infobox officeholder|image=File:Mayor John Weaver.png|birth_date=October 5, 1861|death_date={{death date and age|1928|3|18|1861|10|5}}|birth_place=[[Stourport-on-Severn]], England|office=[[Mayor of Philadelphia]]|term_start=1903|term_end=1907|party=[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]}}
+'''John Weaver''' (October 5, 1861 – March 18, 1928) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[mayor of Philadelphia]] from 1903 to 1907.
 ==Early life and career==
-John Weaver was born in [[Stourport-on-Severn]], England in 1861, the son of Benjamin Weaver and Elizabeth Wilks Weaver.{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=603}} After his mother died in 1874, Weaver found his prospects in England to be dim, and emigrated to the United States in 1881.{{sfn|Passport 1922}}{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=604}} On arriving there, he went to work as a messenger boy and later as a clerk at [[Wanamaker's|John Wanamaker's]] department store in [[Philadelphia]].{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=604}} He became a [[Naturalization|naturalized]] American citizen in 1889.{{sfn|Passport 1922}} In 1885, he married Emily Jennings, the sister of his co-worker, [[William Nicholson Jennings]].{{sfn|Silcox|1993|p=14}} He became a member of [[Russell Conwell]]'s Temple Baptist Church in the city's [[Tioga, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Tioga]] section, where he taught [[Sunday school]].{{sfn|New York Times 1902}}
+John Weaver was born in [[Stourport-on-Severn]], England in 1861, the son of Benjamin Weaver and Elizabeth Wilks Weaver.{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=603}} After his mother died in 1874, Weaver found his prospects in England to be dim, and emigrated to the United States in 1881.{{sfn|Passport 1922}}{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=604}} On arriving there, he went to work as a messenger boy and later as a clerk at [[Wanamaker's|John Wanamaker's]] department store in [[Philadelphia]].{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=604}} He became a [[Naturalization|naturalized]] American citizen in 1889.{{sfn|Passport 1922}} In 1885, he married Emily Jennings, the sister of his co-worker, [[William Nicholson Jennings]].{{sfn|Silcox|1993|p=14}} He became a member of [[Russell Conwell]]'s Temple Baptist Church in the city's [[Tioga, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Tioga]] section, where he taught [[Sunday school]].{{sfn|The New York Times 1902}}
-Weaver studied shorthand at night and became a stenographer for a local attorney, John Sparhawk.{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=604}} Sparhawk encouraged him to [[Read law|study law]], and he did so, being admitted to the [[Bar (law)|bar]] in 1890.{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=604}} When Sparhawk's health began to fail, Weaver took over much of his practice, and soon became a respected local attorney.{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=604}} Weaver's success drew the attention of Philadelphia's [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[political machine]], which was then the dominant political force in the city. When the ring's leader perceived that [[District Attorney of Philadelphia|District Attorney]] [[P. Frederick Rothermel]] was becoming too independent, they nominated Weaver, a political unknown, instead.{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=604}} Rothermel ran against Weaver as an [[Independent politician|independent]], but Weaver defeated him by a substantial margin.{{sfn|New York Times 1901}}
+Weaver studied shorthand at night and became a stenographer for a local attorney, John Sparhawk.{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=604}} Sparhawk encouraged him to [[Read law|study law]], and he did so, being admitted to the [[Bar (law)|bar]] in 1890.{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=604}} When Sparhawk's health began to fail, Weaver took over much of his practice, and soon became a respected local attorney.{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=604}} Weaver's success drew the attention of Philadelphia's [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[political machine]], which was then the dominant political force in the city. When the ring's leader perceived that [[District Attorney of Philadelphia|District Attorney]] [[P. Frederick Rothermel]] was becoming too independent, they nominated Weaver, a political unknown, instead.{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=604}} Rothermel ran against Weaver as an [[Independent politician|independent]], but Weaver defeated him by a substantial margin.{{sfn|The New York Times 1901}}
-As district attorney, Weaver showed signs of the same independence that imperiled Rothermel's position with the party, including initiating prosecution for voter fraud against a local politician.{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=604}} Despite this, the ring deemed Weaver reliable enough to nominate him for mayor in 1903, his independence being thought to be an advantage in blunting the arguments of the growing reform movement in the city.{{sfn|New York Times 1902}} Weaver was elected by a large majority over [[Francis Fisher Kane]], the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]]' nominee.{{sfn|New York Times 1903}}
+As district attorney, Weaver showed signs of the same independence that imperiled Rothermel's position with the party, including initiating prosecution for voter fraud against a local politician.{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=604}} Despite this, the ring deemed Weaver reliable enough to nominate him for mayor in 1903, his independence being thought to be an advantage in blunting the arguments of the growing reform movement in the city.{{sfn|The New York Times 1902}} Weaver was elected by a large majority over [[Francis Fisher Kane]], the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]]' nominee.{{sfn|The New York Times 1903}}
 ==Mayor==
 [[File:John Weaver and family 1905.png|thumb|Weaver with wife Emily and son John]]
 Weaver began his term as mayor without controversy, routinely awarding city contracts to members of the political establishment, as his political patrons expected.{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=605}} His first conflict with the machine came in 1905, when the City Councils passed a bill to lease the city's [[natural gas]] works to the United Gas Improvement Company for seventy-five years.{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=605}} The company was controlled by members of the Republican establishment, and the no-bid long-term lease was suspected by reformers as a way to keep gas prices high and insure profit for connected industrialists.{{sfn|Allen|1906|pp=155–157}} Weaver got word of the bill when he was fishing in Canada. The proposed sale had by that time caused widespread outrage among the Philadelphians, and Weaver wrote a letter promising to [[veto]] the measure when he returned.{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=605}}
-After vetoing the bill, Weaver removed two ring men who had helped facilitate the proposed sale, the Director of Public Works, [[Peter E. Costello]], and the Director of Public Safety, David J. Smyth.{{sfn|Allen|1906|p=164}} This attack on the ring turned them forcefully against Weaver, who was quickly embraced by the reformers.{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=606}} Weaver, term-limited, left office in 1907. He returned to his private law practice, working in that field until his death in 1928.{{sfn|New York Times 1928}} He was buried in [[Mount Peace Cemetery]] in Philadelphia.
+After vetoing the bill, Weaver removed two ring men who had helped facilitate the proposed sale, the Director of Public Works, [[Peter E. Costello]], and the Director of Public Safety, David J. Smyth.{{sfn|Allen|1906|p=164}} This attack on the ring turned them forcefully against Weaver, who was quickly embraced by the reformers.{{sfn|Stewart|1905|p=606}} Weaver, term-limited, left office in 1907. He returned to his private law practice, working in that field until his death in 1928.{{sfn|The New York Times 1928}} He was buried in [[Mount Peace Cemetery]] in Philadelphia.
 ==References==
+{{Reflist}}
-{{reflist | colwidth = 26em | refs = }}
 ==Sources==
+*{{cite web|title=Death Certificate|url=http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=padeathcollection&gss=angs-d&new=1&rank=1&gsfn=John&gsln=Weaver&MSAV=1&msbdy=1861&msddy=1928&msdpn__ftp=Philadelphia%2c+Philadelphia%2c+Pennsylvania%2c+USA&msdpn=15153&msdpn_PInfo=8-%7c0%7c1652393%7c0%7c2%7c3244%7c41%7c0%7c2341%7c15153%7c0%7c&cp=0&catbucket=rstp&uidh=a0i&msdpn__ftp_x=1&msdpn_x=PS&pcat=BMD_DEATH&fh=2&h=4819232&recoff=7+8+47+62&ml_rpos=3|website=Ancestry.com|date=March 22, 1928|ref={{sfnRef|Death Certificate 1928}} }}
 *{{cite web|title=Passport Application|url=http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gss=angs-g&new=1&rank=1&msT=1&gsfn=John&gsln=Weaver&gsln_x=NP_NN&msbdy=1862&msbpn__ftp=Stourport+on+Severn%2c+Worcestershire%2c+England&msbpn=1680686&msbpn_PInfo=8-%7c0%7c0%7c3257%7c3251%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c5291%7c1680686%7c0%7c&msydy=1928&msypn__ftp=Philadelphia%2c+Philadelphia%2c+Pennsylvania%2c+USA&msypn=15153&msypn_PInfo=8-%7c0%7c1652393%7c0%7c2%7c3244%7c41%7c0%7c2341%7c15153%7c0%7c&_83004003-n_xcl=f&cp=0&MSAV=1&uidh=a0i&pcat=ROOT_CATEGORY&h=1570308&recoff=5+6+30&db=USpassports&indiv=1&ml_rpos=1|website=Ancestry.com|date=June 6, 1922|ref={{sfnRef|Passport 1922}} }}
-*{{cite news |title=Result in Pennsylvania |url=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9505EFDE153DE433A25754C0A9679D946097D6CF |publisher= New York Times |date=November 7, 1901 |ref={{sfnRef|New York Times 1901}} }}
+*{{cite news |title=Result in Pennsylvania |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1901/11/07/102431809.pdf |work= The New York Times |date=November 7, 1901 |ref={{sfnRef|The New York Times 1901}} }}
-*{{cite news |title=For Philadelphia's Mayor |url=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=950CE6DF123FE433A2575BC2A9649D946397D6CF |publisher= New York Times |date=December 28, 1902 |ref={{sfnRef|New York Times 1902}} }}
+*{{cite news |title=For Philadelphia's Mayor |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1902/12/28/102640199.pdf |work= The New York Times |date=December 28, 1902 |ref={{sfnRef|The New York Times 1902}} }}
-*{{cite news |title=Philadelphia's New Mayor|url=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9404EEDC1130E733A2575BC1A9649C946297D6CF |publisher= New York Times |date=February 18, 1903 |ref={{sfnRef|New York Times 1903}} }}
+*{{cite news |title=Philadelphia's New Mayor|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1903/02/18/101973918.pdf |work= The New York Times |date=February 18, 1903 |ref={{sfnRef|The New York Times 1903}} }}
-*{{cite news|title=Ex-Mayor Weaver of Philadelphia Dead|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C05E2DD103CE33ABC4152DFB5668383639EDE|work=New York Times|date=March 19, 1928|ref={{sfnRef|New York Times 1928}} }}
+*{{cite news|title=Ex-Mayor Weaver of Philadelphia Dead|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C05E2DD103CE33ABC4152DFB5668383639EDE|work=The New York Times|date=March 19, 1928|ref={{sfnRef|The New York Times 1928}} }}
-*{{cite book|last=Allen|first=Philip Loring|title=America's Awakening: The Triumph of Righteousness in High Places|date=1906|publisher=Fleming H. Revell Company|location=New York, New York|oclc=3353081|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WZBJAAAAIAAJ&|ref=harv}}
+*{{cite book|last=Allen|first=Philip Loring|title=America's Awakening: The Triumph of Righteousness in High Places|date=1906|publisher=Fleming H. Revell Company|location=New York, New York|oclc=3353081|url=https://archive.org/details/americasawakeni00allegoog}}
-*{{cite book|last=Silcox|first=Harry C.|title=Jennings' Philadelphia: The Life of Philadelphia Photographer William Nicholson Jennings (1860-1946)|date=1993|publisher=Brighton Press|location=Holland, Pennsylvania|oclc=29150597|ref=harv}}
+*{{cite book|last=Silcox|first=Harry C.|title=Jennings' Philadelphia: The Life of Philadelphia Photographer William Nicholson Jennings (1860–1946)|date=1993|publisher=Brighton Press|location=Holland, Pennsylvania|oclc=29150597}}
-*{{cite journal|last1=Stewart|first1=William R.|title=The Real John Weaver|journal=Cosmopolitan|date=October 1905|volume=39|issue=6|pages=601–606|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=73o4AQAAMAAJ&|ref=harv}}
+*{{cite journal|last1=Stewart|first1=William R.|title=The Real John Weaver|journal=Cosmopolitan|date=October 1905|volume=39|issue=6|pages=601–606|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=73o4AQAAMAAJ}}
+==External links==
+*{{Commons category-inline}}
 {{s-start}}
+{{s-legal}}
+{{succession box | before=[[P. Frederick Rothermel]] | title=[[District Attorney of Philadelphia]] | years=1902–1903 | after=[[John C. Bell (lawyer)|John C. Bell]]}}
 {{s-off}}
 {{succession box | before=[[Samuel Howell Ashbridge]] | title=[[Mayor of Philadelphia]] | years=1903–1907 | after=[[John E. Reyburn]]}}
@@ Line 35: / Line 45: @@
 {{PhiladelphiaMayors}}
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Weaver, John}}
 [[Category:1861 births]]
 [[Category:1928 deaths]]
-[[Category:Mayors of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]
+[[Category:Burials at Mount Peace Cemetery]]
+[[Category:Mayors of Philadelphia]]
+[[Category:District Attorneys of Philadelphia]]
 [[Category:Pennsylvania Republicans]]
 [[Category:Pennsylvania lawyers]]
+[[Category:People from Stourport-on-Severn]]
+[[Category:American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law]]
+[[Category:English emigrants to the United States]]
+[[Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States]]
+[[Category:19th-century American lawyers]]

v t e Mayors of Philadelphia (chronologically)
Colonial era (1691–1776)	Morrey Shippen (I) Morris (I) G. Jones Willcox Stanbury Masters Hill Carter Preston Dickinson Roch Hill Dickinson Fishbourn Logan C. Plumsted Norris Hudson Charles Read T. Lawrence (I) Griffitts Hasell Griffitts T. Lawrence (I) Allen C. Plumsted Griffitts Morris (II) Roberts Hasell C. Plumsted Till B. Shoemaker Shippen (II) Hamilton Attwood C. Willing T. Lawrence (I) W. Plumsted Strettell B. Shoemaker T. Lawrence (I) C. Willing W. Plumsted Shute T. Lawrence (II) Stamper B. Shoemaker Duché Harrison T. Willing T. Lawrence (II) J. Lawrence I. Jones S. Shoemaker Gibson Fisher Rhoads Powel
Pre-Act of Consolidation (1789–1854)	Powel Miles Barclay Clarkson Baker Wharton Inskeep Lawler Inskeep Wharton J. Barker Wharton Keppele J. Barker Geyer Wharton J. N. Barker Wharton Watson Dallas Richards Milnor Richards Swift Roach Swift Scott McCall Swift J. Jones Gilpin
Post-Consolidation (since 1854)	Conrad Vaux Henry McMichael Fox Stokley King W. Smith Fitler Stuart Warwick Ashbridge Weaver Reyburn Blankenburg T. Smith Moore Kendrick Mackey Moore Wilson Connell Lamberton Samuel Clark Dilworth Tate Rizzo Green Goode Rendell Street Nutter Kenney Parker