William A. Stone
Wellsboro, Tioga County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Governor of Pennsylvania, 1899-1903; Congressman in 1891-99, was born two and one-half miles SW of here Apr. 18, 1846. Graduate of Mansfield Normal. Began law practice in Wellsboro. 1870. Moved to Pittsburgh, 1877. Died Mar. 1, 1920.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
William A. Stone rose from a Tioga County farm to the top of Pennsylvania politics, born just southwest of here in 1846. A graduate of the Mansfield Normal School, he began practicing law in Wellsboro in 1870 before moving to Pittsburgh, serving in Congress through the 1890s and as governor from 1899 to 1903. His career spanned the Gilded Age into the new century.
Why it matters
Stone's climb from a rural schoolhouse to the governorship reflects the political world of Gilded Age Pennsylvania and the local roots of statewide leaders.
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Related people
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Themes & tags
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Nessmuk
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William A. Stone
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Born about two and a half miles from this spot in 1846, William A. Stone became one of Tioga County's most prominent sons. Trained at the Mansfield Normal School, he opened a law practice in Wellsboro in 1870, later relocating to Pittsburgh, and went on to serve in Congress in the 1890s and as governor of Pennsylvania from 1899 to 1903. He died in 1920.
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