John Weaver (mayor): Difference between revisions
→Early life and career: church |
→Early life and career: more |
||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
==Early life and career== |
==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.{{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|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|New York Times 1901}} |
||
Revision as of 16:37, 30 May 2015
 | This article or section is in a state of significant expansion or restructuring. You are welcome to assist in its construction by editing it as well. If this article or section has not been edited in several days, please remove this template. If you are the editor who added this template and you are actively editing, please be sure to replace this template with {{in use}} during the active editing session. Click on the link for template parameters to use.
This article was last edited by Coemgenus (talk | contribs) 9 years ago. (Update timer) |
John Weaver (October 5, 1861 - March 19, 1928) was an American lawyer and politician who served as 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
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 New York Times 1902.
- ^ New York Times 1901.
- ^ New York Times 1903.
Sources
- "Passport Application". Ancestry.com. June 6, 1922.
- "Result in Pennsylvania". New York Times. November 7, 1901.
- "For Philadelphia's Mayor". New York Times. December 28, 1902.
- "Philadelphia's New Mayor". New York Times. February 18, 1903.
- "Ex-Mayor Weaver of Philadelphia Dead". 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.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Silcox, Harry C. (1993). Jennings' Philadelphia: The Life of Philadelphia Photographer William Nicholson Jennings (1860-1946). Holland, Pennsylvania: Brighton Press. OCLC 29150597.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Stewart, William R. (October 1905). "The Real John Weaver". Cosmopolitan. 39 (6): 601–606.
{{cite journal}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)