Background
John Frederick Hartranft was born on December 16, 1830, in New Hanover, Pennsylvania, United States, the son of Samuel Engle and Lydia (Bucher) Hartranft both of German descent.
(On May 1, 1865, two weeks after Abraham Lincoln's assassi...)
On May 1, 1865, two weeks after Abraham Lincoln's assassination, recently inaugurated president Andrew Johnson appointed John Frederick Hartranft to command the military prison at the Washington Arsenal, where the U.S. government had just incarcerated the seven men and one woman accused of complicity in the shooting. From that day through the execution of four of the accomplices, the Pennsylvania-...
https://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Assassination-Conspirators-Confinement-Letterbook/dp/B002EW8MJS?SubscriptionId=AKIAJRRWTH346WSPOAFQ&tag=prabook-20&linkCode=sp1&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B002EW8MJS
John Frederick Hartranft was born on December 16, 1830, in New Hanover, Pennsylvania, United States, the son of Samuel Engle and Lydia (Bucher) Hartranft both of German descent.
John attended Marshall and Union Colleges. At the latter institution he prepared for the profession of civil engineering, graduating in 1853.
In 1854, John Hartranft became deputy sheriff of Montgomery County, deciding about the same time to shift from engineering to law and politics. He was admitted to the bar in October 1860. At the outbreak of the Civil War he was colonel of the 16t Regiment, Montgomery County Militia, which became the 4th Pennsylvania Regiment in a ninety-day enlistment. On November 16, 1861, he was commissioned colonel of the 516t Regiment of Pennsylvania Infantry, which he had organized, and saw active service in numerous important battles throughout the war. On May 12, 1864, he was promoted brigadier-general of volunteers for gallantry at Spotsylvania Court House, and on March 25, 1865, he was brevetted major-general of volunteers for conspicuous gallantry in driving back the enemy at Fort Stedman.
In 1865 Hartranft was elected on the Republican ticket as auditor-general of the state and was reelected in 1868. In 1872 he was elected governor and served two terms in this office. During the era of great prosperity and rapid expansion following the war, large numbers of foreign workers had come into Pennsylvania. In the succeeding era of severe industrial depression beginning in 1873, unemployment and the menace of starvation kindled the flames of discontent. By 1877, disturbances bordering on civil war existed in various parts of the state, especially in Pittsburgh and Reading. The governor made frequent use of the state militia and in 1877 called on the federal government for soldiers, taking personal charge of the troops. Later, in looking back on the armed suppression of strikes, the governor doubted the expediency of “hedging property with bayonets” for maintaining industrial peace. His after-the-event proposals included the recognition by employers of workers’ organizations and the adjustment of conflicting claims by arbitration. He also became convinced that an essential part of the remedy must be a much more extensive and thorough system of compulsory education, with provision for technical training. Other events and policies of his administration included the completion in 1873 of the work of revising the state constitution; the centennial exposition of 1876; the inauguration of a series of geological surveys; a more effective public regulation of banking; and the reorganization of the state militia as a part of the National Guard.
After the expiration of his second term as governor Hartranft was given command of the Pennsylvania National Guard. He was appointed postmaster at Philadelphia in 1879 and from 1881 to 1885 was collector of the port of Philadelphia.
(On May 1, 1865, two weeks after Abraham Lincoln's assassi...)
On January 26, 1854, Hartranft was married to Sallie D. Sebring.