William A. Stone

The Honorable William Alexis Stone
22nd Governor of Pennsylvania
In office January 17, 1899 – January 20, 1903
Lieutenant	John P.S. Gobin
Preceded by	Daniel Hastings
Succeeded by	Samuel Pennypacker
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 23rd district
In office March 4, 1891 – November 9, 1898
Preceded by	Thomas Bayne
Succeeded by	William Graham
Personal details
Born	April 18, 1846 Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Died	March 1, 1920(1920-03-01) (aged 73) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Ellen F. Stevens (1870–1878; her death) Elizabeth B. White (1879–1919; her death)

William Alexis Stone (April 18, 1846 – March 1, 1920) was the 22nd Governor of Pennsylvania from 1899 to 1903.

Early life

Stone was born in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. He was descended from Simon Stone, Jr (1631 - 1708), who was born in Bocking, Essex, England and settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.^[1] In 1864, Stone enlisted in the Union Army as a private during the American Civil War, and became a second lieutenant in 1865.^[2] He continued his military service after the war in the Pennsylvania National Guard. He attended Mansfield State Normal School and taught while studying law.

Appointments

In 1872, he was appointed as a clerk for the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives. Two years later, he ran for his first political office, becoming district attorney of Tioga County. In 1876, he was appointed district attorney for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania by President Rutherford B. Hayes. He held that post until 1886 when he violated President Chester A. Arthur's edict for political office-holders not to campaign for political candidates. Stone campaigned for James A. Beaver, and his removal only increased his popularity.

Congress and Pennsylvania Governorship

Stone served four terms in the United States House of Representatives before running for governor in 1898. During his term in office, Pennsylvania's state debt was eliminated, and a new capitol building was commissioned. After serving as governor, Stone joined his son in private law practice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He also served briefly as prothonotary for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 1915.

In Memoriam

Stone Hall, a residence hall on Penn State's University Park campus is named for Stone.

References

1. ↑ "Simon Stone, Jr". Geni. Retrieved September 19, 2015. 
2. ↑ Dunaway, Wayland F. (1948). A History of Pennsylvania. New York, New York: Prentice-Hall, Inc. p. 469. ...William A. Stone...entered the Union Army as a private in his eighteenth year and in 1865 became second lieutenant.  |access-date= requires |url= (help)

• William A. Stone at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• The Political Graveyard

External links

• William A. Stone at Find a Grave

Governors and Presidents of Pennsylvania Presidents (1777–90) Wharton Bryan Reed Moore Dickinson Franklin Mifflin Governors (since 1790) Mifflin McKean Snyder Findlay Hiester Shulze G. Wolf Ritner Porter Shunk Johnston Bigler Pollock Packer Curtin Geary Hartranft Hoyt Pattison Beaver Pattison Hastings Stone Pennypacker Stuart Tener Brumbaugh Sproul Pinchot Fisher Pinchot Earle James Martin Bell Duff Fine Leader Lawrence Scranton Shafer Shapp Thornburgh Casey Ridge Schweiker Rendell Corbett T. Wolf