Simon Cameron
East Donegal Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Noted leader in state and national politics, statesman, diplomat, member of Lincoln's cabinet, U.S. Senator. Was born, 1799, in a log house that stood on this site. Died in 1889 at Donegal Springs.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Simon Cameron was born in 1799 in a log house that once stood on this site, rising from modest beginnings to become one of the most powerful figures in Pennsylvania and national politics. A U.S. Senator and shrewd party organizer, he served briefly as Abraham Lincoln's first Secretary of War at the outbreak of the Civil War before a diplomatic posting to Russia. He died in 1889 at nearby Donegal Springs, having shaped his state's political machine for a generation.
Why it matters
Cameron's career illustrates the rise of the professional political boss in 19th-century America, wielding patronage and party power from the local level to Lincoln's wartime cabinet.
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Related people
- · Simon Cameron
- · Abraham Lincoln
Themes & tags
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