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Washington County legislator credited with dampening the furor of the “Buckshot War”

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We tend to shake our heads at the political shenanigans and dirty tricks we’ve come to expect in our state and federal governments these days. But in reality, they are small potatoes compared to the knock-down, drag-out fights, brouhahas and scandals that marked early 19th-century politics.

A case in point is Pennsylvania’s 1838 “Buckshot War,” a bloodless but rather shameful event that erupted in Harrisburg over a disputed gubernatorial race. The conflict led to armed mobs in the streets, a Legislature frozen in disarray, a governor in hiding, and militia guarding the state House and other government buildings.

Photo courtesy of Washington County Historical Society

Photo courtesy of Washington County Historical Society

A list of Buckshot War participants

In the midst of all this was William Hopkins, a 34-year-old state representative from Washington County starting his fourth term in the House of Representatives. He was elected Speaker of the House during the turmoil and was largely credited with keeping control of the House and dampening much of the furor before it led to bloodshed.

“…But for the wisdom and firmness of this man, our Commonwealth might easily have been involved in the horrors of civil war,” said George W. Woodward, a fellow state Constitutional Convention delegate.

To understand the Buckshot War, you must understand Pennsylvania’s political structure at the time.

The dominant political parties were the Whigs and Democrats, along with the short-lived Anti-Masons, a splinter group led by Thaddeus Stevens which believed Masonry and other “secret” organizations were gaining too much power in government. The Anti-Masons allied with the Whigs in opposing the Democrats.

In the 1838 election, the Anti-Masons and Whigs supported the incumbent governor Joseph Ritner against the Democratic challenger David Rittenhouse Porter. After a bitter campaign, Porter won by a slim majority of 5,496 votes. In the Legislature, the Anti-Masons and Whigs had gained control of the Senate, but needed a majority in the House to control a public works patronage system under Gov. Ritner involving thousands of state jobs.

Meanwhile, voter fraud was claimed in the Northern Liberties District of Philadelphia with 5,000 votes and four House seats at stake. In the turmoil over challenges and conflicting rulings by partisan election judges, two supposedly certified lists of successful candidates for the four House seats in that district emerged – one Whig and Anti-Masonry, the other Democrat.

On the night of Dec. 4, when the House of Representatives met to seat new members and reorganize, crowds of armed people from both parties, mostly from Philadelphia and Lancaster, had arrived in Harrisburg “to see fair play.” At its height, there were between 30,000 and 50,000 “strangers” in town, according to one historic account.

In a chaotic meeting, with the crowd maintaining a continuous uproar outside, the Clerk of the House, unsure of what to do, recognized both sets of candidates for the four disputed seats. There was a call to elect a Speaker. The Democrats elected Hopkins from Washington County. The Anti-Masons and Whigs elected Thomas Cunningham. In a bizarre move, both men were allowed to occupy the speaker’s platform. With the House so seriously divided, there was little else it could legitimately do, and the session was quickly adjourned.

Thaddeus Stevens and two other Anti-Masons and Whigs then strolled over to the Senate chamber, which was handling its own dispute over election fraud. But the “rowdies,” led by a notorious Philadelphia gang member named “Balty” Sowers, had infiltrated the chamber, shouting against the Whig faction. They “rushed the bar” with the intent of reaching Stevens and his companions who had to jump out a back window to escape.

When the night ended, neither party held a quorum and remained at odds. Armed mobs continued to roam the borough, a “committee of safety” occupied the state arsenal, and Gov. Ritner had locked himself in the Governor’s Mansion.

From the mansion, the governor called for federal troops to protect the town, but was turned down by President Martin Van Buren. He then called for state militia from Philadelphia and Carlisle. Eventually, between 800 and 1,000 troops arrived in Harrisburg, most armed with muskets loaded with buckshot – hence the name “Buckshot War.” The troops took up guard posts and maintained order, but angry crowds continued to roam the town, waiting to see what would happen in the House.

Over the next few days, factions in the divided House met separately – the Whigs and Anti-Masons under speaker Cunningham in the nearby Wilson Hotel, and Hopkins’ Democratic assembly in the House chambers. Support began to wane for the Anti-Masons and Whigs. The proprietor of the Wilson Hotel closed his door to the Cunningham party, and later in the week, three of its members left to join Hopkins’ party. As a result of this switch, Hopkins’ party had a quorum and the Democrats had a majority in the House. The angry crowds melted away and the militia eventually withdrew from Harrisburg. On Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 1838, the Senate recognized the Hopkins party as the legal body of the House, subsequently ending the Buckshot War.

There were accusations of conspiracies to organize and bring the “rowdies” into Harrisburg, as well as an alleged plot to blow up the train bringing the militia into town. Investigations were launched but no arrests or formal charges were ever made.

There was, however, universal praise for William Hopkins as one of the “cooler heads” in the House who used his role as speaker to nudge the hotter heads into compromise.

Hopkins was described as one of the most prominent Democrats of his time, and led a life devoted to public service. He served three years as House speaker after the Buckshot War, and was returned to the House in 1861 and 1862. He was elected to the state Senate in 1863, where he served for three years. In between he held posts as commissioner of the Cumberland Road, later the National Pike; secretary of the Land Office, and Canal Commissioner. He and his wife Rachel raised two sons and a daughter from their home at the corner of Beau and College streets in Washington. Active in local affairs, he served for many years on borough council and as a school director.

He was serving as a delegate to the state Constitutional Convention when he fell ill with pneumonia and died March 2, 1873, at age 68. He was buried in Washington Cemetery.

Among the many eulogies by prominent figures at his funeral service came this: “Few men in this county, or indeed in the state, have managed so many trusts, public and private, as were committed to him during his long and eventful life.”

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