Biography

12/10/1838 - 03/09/1911

Doctor Peter J. Roebuck (R14) Lancaster County 1875-1878

Early Life: 

Doctor Peter J. Roebuck, born December 10, 1838, Earleysville, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania; son of John Jacob and Sarah Yingst Roebuck; Annville Academy, Annville, Pennsylvania; University of Pennsylvania, M.D., 1860; Assistant Surgeon, 36th Regiment, Civil War, 1862; private medicine practice; married, Emma Jane Thome, 1864, no children; elected, Republican, Pennsylvania State Senate Lancaster County 1875-1878; unsuccessful candidate, Congressional nomination, 1878; president, Farmers' National Bank of Lititz, 1901-1911; died, pneumonia, March 9, 1911 (72 years, 2 months and 29 days) Lititz, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; interment, Palmyra Cemetery, Palmyra, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. 

Early Career:

Assistant Surgeon, 36th Regiment, Civil War, 1862; private medicine practice.

Director, Lancaster and Lititz, Lititz and Lexington, and Lititz and Rothsville turnpike companies.  President, Consumers Boxboard and Paper Company. President, Farmers' National Bank of Lititz, (now Susquehanna Bank), 1901-1911.

Professional titles; business ownership; board memberships; local government; club memberships:

Member, Lancaster City and County Medical Society, State Medical Society, American Medical Association. Member, Stevens Post No. 517 Grand Army of the Republic. 

Pennsylvania Politics:   

Elected, Republican, Pennsylvania State Senate, 14th district, Lancaster County, 1875-1878; committee assignments, Education (Chairman), Finance and Library. 

Unsuccessful candidate, congressional nomination, defeated by Abraham Herr Smith, 1878.

Legacy: 

Elected State Senator from the newest district created by the first apportionment under the new Pennsylvania Constitution, 1874 took office 1875. 

Generously donated the funds to construct a fountain at the Lititz Square (now located on the patio at the General Sutter Inn)

"Roebuck's Estate - The will of Dr. P. J. Roebuck was probated on Wednesday. It is rather brief, but rather explicit. The estate is to remain intact so long as the widow lives, except that the farm in Warwick township and the one in Lebanon county are to be sold at private or public sale. After Mrs. Roebuck's death, the estate is to be divided equally between his and her brothers and sisters or their heirs, except for a few special bequests.

One of those bequests is $2,000 of Lehigh Valley Railroad bonds to the borough of Lititz, the interest to be used for maintaining the fountain in the public square."

Cited:

Cox, Harold. "Senate Members "R"". Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University. 

Smull’s Legislative Handbook, (1878). Smull, J.A., (Editor) Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, pages 656, 662-664, Biographical Sketches of Senators, page 624.

Roebuck, Peter J., M. D. (pa-roots.org)

Dr Peter J Roebuck (1838-1911) - Find a Grave Memorial