Biography

03/31/1849 - 08/07/1907

George Wallace Delamater (R50) Crawford County 1887-1890

Early Life: 

George Wallace Delamater, born March 31, 1849, Meadville, Crawford County, Pennsylvania; son of George B. Delamater and Susan Cowl Towne; educated, local schools; Allegheny College, 1869; Harvard Law School; admitted bar, lawyer; member, banking, House of Delamater and Company; president, owner, Meadville Fuel Gas Company; married, Mary E McFarland, 1871, two children, Susie Louisa Delamater Austin, James Scott Delamater; elected, Republican, mayor, Meadville, 1876; elected, Republican, Pennsylvania State Senate, 1887-1890; banker; unsuccessful campaign, Pennsylvania Governor, 1890; died, August 7, 1907 self-inflicted gunshot wound, (aged 58), Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; interment, Greendale Cemetery Meadville, Crawford County, Pennsylvania.

Early Career:

Member, banking, House of Delamater and Company; director, Merchants National Bank; president, owner, Meadville Fuel Gas Company; controlling interest, Meadville and Linesville Railway Company; worked, Prudential Life Insurance.

Authored:

Citizenship; Its Privileges and Duties - George Wallace Delamater, 1849.  

Pennsylvania Politics:

Elected, Republican, mayor, Meadville, 1876.

Elected, Republican, Pennsylvania State Senate, 50th district, Crawford County, 1887-1890, Committee assignments, Banks, Finance, Judiciary Local and Public Buildings.

Senatorial delegate, State Convention, 1878.

Chairman Crawford County Republican Committee, elections 1878 and 1879.

Chosen, James A Garfield, Presidential elector, Pennsylvania, 1880. 

Unsuccessful campaign, Pennsylvania Governor, 1890.

Legacy:

Descendant, mothers’ side, Town Family, Salem Massachusetts witch trials; also descendant from Elder William Brewster, III, Mayflower passenger.

George W. Delamater convicted; found guilty of embezzlement in his firm's failure October 7, 1892.  (i)

Very despondent about the recent deaths of his father (May 6, 1907) and son at 21, heart ailment (May 21, 1907), self-inflicted gunshot wound in his office, Diamond Banking Building, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (now known as PNC Bank).

Son, Pennsylvania State Senator, George Benjamin Delameter 29^th district, Crawford and Erie Counties 1871, 29^th district, Crawford County 1872-1873.

Cited:

Smull’s Legislative Hand Book, (1888) Cochran, T.B., Biographical Sketches of Senators, page 642, 671, 676-678.

1. The Sentinel (Carlisle, Pennsylvania) Friday October 7, 1892, Page 1