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| '''George Whitfield Scranton''' (May 11, 1811 – March 24, 1861) was an industrialist and politician, a ] member of the ] from ] from March 4, 1859, until his death in 1861. Moving |
'''George Whitfield Scranton''' (May 11, 1811 – March 24, 1861) was an industrialist and politician, a ] member of the ] from ] from March 4, 1859, until his death in 1861. Moving to Pennsylvania in the late 1830s to establish an iron furnace, he and his brother Selden T. Scranton are considered among the founders of the city of ], named for their family. They and two partners established what became known as the ]. They developed a method of producing T-rails for constructing railroad track, which previously had been imported from England. The innovation led to a boom in production of track and construction of railroads. | ||
| Scranton became a major industrialist, also leading the ], which depended on the iron industry. | |||
| ⚫ | After his death, his cousin's son, ], became general manager of the Iron & Coal Company, serving during the ] of 1877. | ||
| ⚫ | After his death, his cousin's son, ], became general manager of the Iron & Coal Company, serving during the ] of 1877 and founding Lackawanna Steel Company. | ||
| ==Early life== | ==Early life== | ||
| George Scranton was born in ]. Among his siblings was his brother Selden T. Scranton. He attended Lee’s Academy. He moved to ], in 1828 and became a ]. | George Scranton was born in ]. Among his siblings was his brother Selden T. Scranton. He attended Lee’s Academy. He moved to ], in 1828 and became a ]. He and his brother worked at ], an iron manufacturing factory. | ||
| ==Career== | ==Career== | ||
| ]. The city was named after him and his family.]] | ]. The city was named after him and his family.]] | ||
| From 1835 to 1839, Scranton was interested in agricultural pursuits. | |||
| Learning of extensive iron and coal deposits in northeast Pennsylvania, he and his brother Selden became interested in new developments in industry and moved to this area of mining "hard" or ]. Together with Sanford Grant and Philip H. Mattes, they formed the firm of Scrantons, Grant & Company. Mattes was head of a branch of a bank in ], and helped gain financing.<ref name="hitchcock">Frederick Lyman Hitchcock, , Volume 1, 1914, p. 8</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | In 1839 Scranton started manufacture of iron, and began experimenting with the practicability of ] ore by means of "hard" or ] in Slocum (now ]). This area was developing as the center of extensive mining of anthracite coal. | ||
| ⚫ | Scranton was the founder of the ], named after the river. He and his brother Selden, together with Grant and Mattes, are considered founders of the city of Scranton, named after the Scranton family.<ref name="hitchcock9">Hitchcock (1914), ''History of Scranton,'' p. 9</ref> He constructed the Northumberland division of the ], helping to create the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. He was the president of two railroad companies.<!--name --> | ||
| ⚫ | In 1839 Scranton started manufacture of iron, and began experimenting with the practicability of ] ore by means of "hard" or ] in Slocum (now ]). This area |
||
| In 1858 Selden Scranton returned to Oxford Furnace in New Jersey. | |||
| ⚫ | Scranton was the founder of the ], named after the river. He and his brother Selden, together with Grant and Mattes, are considered founders of the city of Scranton, named after |
||
| ===Politics=== | ===Politics=== | ||
Revision as of 12:16, 23 May 2016
| George Whitfield Scranton | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 12th district | |
| In office March 4, 1859 – March 24, 1861 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Leidy |
| Succeeded by | Hendrick Bradley Wright |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1811-05-11)May 11, 1811 Madison, Connecticut, US |
| Died | March 24, 1861(1861-03-24) (aged 49) Scranton, Pennsylvania |
| Political party | Republican |
| Relations | Selden T. Scranton (brother), Joseph A. Scranton (second-cousin) |
| Occupation | Industrialist |
George Whitfield Scranton (May 11, 1811 – March 24, 1861) was an industrialist and politician, a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania from March 4, 1859, until his death in 1861. Moving to Pennsylvania in the late 1830s to establish an iron furnace, he and his brother Selden T. Scranton are considered among the founders of the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, named for their family. They and two partners established what became known as the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company. They developed a method of producing T-rails for constructing railroad track, which previously had been imported from England. The innovation led to a boom in production of track and construction of railroads.
Scranton became a major industrialist, also leading the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, which depended on the iron industry.
After his death, his cousin's son, William Walker Scranton, became general manager of the Iron & Coal Company, serving during the Scranton General Strike of 1877 and founding Lackawanna Steel Company.
Early life
George Scranton was born in Madison, Connecticut. Among his siblings was his brother Selden T. Scranton. He attended Lee’s Academy. He moved to Belvidere, New Jersey, in 1828 and became a teamster. He and his brother worked at Oxford Furnace, an iron manufacturing factory.
Career
Learning of extensive iron and coal deposits in northeast Pennsylvania, he and his brother Selden became interested in new developments in industry and moved to this area of mining "hard" or anthracite coal. Together with Sanford Grant and Philip H. Mattes, they formed the firm of Scrantons, Grant & Company. Mattes was head of a branch of a bank in Easton, Pennsylvania, and helped gain financing.
In 1839 Scranton started manufacture of iron, and began experimenting with the practicability of smelting ore by means of "hard" or anthracite coal in Slocum (now Scranton, Pennsylvania). This area was developing as the center of extensive mining of anthracite coal.
Scranton was the founder of the Lackawanna Iron & Coal Company, named after the river. He and his brother Selden, together with Grant and Mattes, are considered founders of the city of Scranton, named after the Scranton family. He constructed the Northumberland division of the Lackawanna Railroad, helping to create the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. He was the president of two railroad companies.
In 1858 Selden Scranton returned to Oxford Furnace in New Jersey.
Politics
Scranton was elected to Congress from Pennsylvania as a Republican in 1858 to the 36th Congress and served from March 4, 1859, until his death in Scranton on March 24, 1861.
Personal life
In 1847, his cousin Joseph a. Scranton moved with his second wife and young family to this corner of Pennsylvania. One of his sons, William Walker Scranton, went to Yale in the family tradition, later becoming general manager of the Lackawanna Iron & Coal company. He led the company during the extensive protests and action in the city in 1877 during the Scranton General Strike.
Sources
- United States Congress. "George W. Scranton (id: S000191)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
External links
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byPaul Leidy | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district 1859–1861 |
Succeeded byHendrick B. Wright |
 | This article about a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
 | This biography related to rail transport in the United States is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
- Frederick Lyman Hitchcock, History of Scranton and Its People, Volume 1, 1914, p. 8
- Hitchcock (1914), History of Scranton, p. 9
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
- American manufacturing businesspeople
- 19th-century American railroad executives
- 1811 births
- 1861 deaths
- Scranton, Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania Republicans
- People from Belvidere, New Jersey
- American steel industry businesspeople
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives
- 19th-century American politicians
- Pennsylvania United States Representative stubs
- American rail transportation biography stubs