Biography

05/27/1837 - 08/16/1890

Captain Aaron K. Dunkle (R6) Philadelphia, 1875-1878

Early Life: 

Captain Aaron K. Dunkle, born May 27, 1837, Manheim Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; common school education; printer’s apprentice; captain, prisoner of war, Civil War, 1862-1864; publisher, Philadelphia Sunday Republic; elected, Republican, Pennsylvania State Senate, 1875-1878; Secretary of Internal Affairs, Governor Hoyt, 1879-1883; married Pauline Haynes Dunkle, Lancaster County; died, August 16, 1890*, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Interment location unknown.

Early Career:

Enlisted, Company H, 114^th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers Infantry (known as Zouaves D' Afrique), 2d Lieutenant August 26, 1862; saw action, Shenandoah Valley, 2d Bull Run; fought many battles including but not limited to, Antietam (attached to 2d Mass.), Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House, promoted, captain; received a surgeon’s discharge, September 22, 1864. Wounded, Battle at Gettysburg, captured, spent ten months, prisoner of war, notorious Libby Prison, Georgia

Pennsylvania Politics:

Elected, Republican, Pennsylvania State Senate, 6^th district, Philadelphia 1875-1878, member, Education, Public Printing and Military Affairs Committees.

Elected, Republican, Secretary of Internal Affairs, Governor Hoyt 1879-1883

Cited:

Smull’s Legislative Hand Book, (1875) Smull, J.A., Members of the Senate of Pennsylvania, page 601-608.

The Semi-Weekly New Era (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) Saturday, June 02, 1888

*Date of Death, According to Military Pension files