Simon Snyder was one of Susquehanna River Valley's most illustrious citizens. He was Pennsylvania’s third governor and a resident of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. Snyder's life and times continue to be of interest to local, state and national historians. The exhibition in June of 2011 was a celebration of Governor Snyder's life and his significant contribution to the War of 1812.
Born in Lancaster County, November 5, 1759. Snyder's parents were German immigrants, who came from the Palatinate region. His father was a mechanic, a person who labored with his hands, probably a farmer and tanner like Snyder himself.
When he was fifteen his father died and two years later, in 1776, Snyder moved to York where he apprenticed with a man who taught him the tanning and currying trades. While in York, Snyder studied reading, writing and mathematics at night with a local Quaker schoolmaster. Beyond this, Snyder was a self taught man with a lifelong habit of study.
In 1784 Snyder moved to Northumberland County, the Pennsylvania frontier. He found this to be a place of opportunity where he bought land, opened a store, and ran a mill in partnership with Anthony Selin, founder of Selins’s Grove. Respected by his fellow citizens for good judgment, honesty and impartiality, Snyder rose rapidly in local politics. Soon after arriving Snyder was elected Justice of the Peace by the freeholders of Penn Township and served for twelve years.
In 1789, Snyder was elected one of two delegates representing Northumberland County at the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. In 1797 he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and was annually reelected except in 1805 when he ran unsuccessfully for governor. He was chosen Speaker of the House three times. He was elected Governor of Pennsylvania three consecutive terms, in 1808 by a landslide, 1811, and 1814.
Under Snyder's leadership, Pennsylvania provided men and supplies for the United States’ effort in the second war for American independence against Britain, the War of 1812.
Leaving office in 1817, Snyder returned to Selinsgrove and resumed life in his new home on Market Street. A year later he was elected to the State Senate. He served one year of his term before dying of typhoid on November 9, 1819.
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In 1881 the Pennsylvania Senate appropriated $3,000 for a monument honoring Gov. Snyder because of his efforts to provide free public schools. He believed democracy could not thrive without an educated citizenry. In 1885, the monument given to the people of Selinsgrove by the State of Pennsylvania was placed over his grave in in the Old Lutheran Cemetery, just off Market Street on Bough.
George E. Bissell, 19th century American sculptor, created the Snyder monument: a Quincy granite pedestal ornamented with a bronze portrait bust and panels depicting Snyder as farmer, tanner and administrator.
| As a young man, twenty five years old in 1784, Simon Snyder, for whom Snyder County was named, and his brother-in-law Anthony Selin, founder of Selinsgrove, became partners in a general store at Selinsgrove. In his article, "The County Store of Half a Century Ago," William A. Russ Jr. writes that success in running a general store depended on many qualities but three were fundamental: willingness to work hard, absolute honesty, and a shrewd business sense. He also says that the business of a country store was sometimes the stepping stone to political office for its proprietor. This was true for Simon Snyder. In 1785 he was elected/appointed Justice of the Peace and by 1789 was appointed one of two representatives the County (Northumberland) sent to the State Constitutional Convention.
"The Country Store of Half a Century Ago," Pennsylvania History, Vol. 17, No. 3 (July, 1950), pp. 208-214, Penn State University Press. |
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We would like to acknowledge those who individuals and entities who made the 2011 exhibition such a success. Thank you so much for your contribution of time, expertise and artifacts!
Click here to read the extensive list of contributors.
Click here for Sources of Information about Simon Snyder
The Snyder County Historical Society | Lore Degenstein Gallery | Main Street Manager Selinsgrove Projects, Inc. 
