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{{Infobox Congressman
| honorific-prefix =
| name = George Whitfield Scranton
| honorific-suffix =
| image = George W. Scranton (Pennsylvania Congressman).jpg
| state = ]
| district = ]
| term_start = March 4, 1859
| term_end = March 24, 1861
| preceded = ]
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1811|5|11}}
| birth_place = ], US
| death_date = {{death date and age|1861|3|24|1811|5|11}}
| death_place = ]
| nationality = American
| spouse =
| party = ]
| relations = Selden T. Scranton (brother), Joseph A. Scranton (])
| children =
| residence =
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Industrialist
| profession =
| religion = Protestant
| signature =
| website =
| footnotes =
| succeeded = ]
}}

'''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 Joseph H. Scranton, an early investor who had moved to this city, became president and the cousin's son, ], became general manager of the Iron & Coal Company. W.W. Scranton managed the company during and after the ] of 1877, founding the ].

==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 ]. He and his brother both worked at ], an iron manufacturing factory. 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 both worked at ], an iron manufacturing factory.

Revision as of 16:22, 23 January 2017

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 both worked at Oxford Furnace, an iron manufacturing factory.

Career

Skyline of downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania. The city was named after him and his family.

Learning of extensive iron and coal deposits in northeast Pennsylvania, the two Scranton brothers became interested in potential for new 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 also 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.

References

  1. Frederick Lyman Hitchcock, History of Scranton and Its People, Volume 1, 1914, p. 8
  2. Hitchcock (1914), History of Scranton, p. 9

Sources

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
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