Philadelphia Mayor. He served as Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1858 until 1866, and saw the city through its participation in the Civil War. A graduate of Princeton University and a member of the Philadelphia Bar, he defeated incumbent mayor Richard Vaux for that office in 1858. He hosted President-elect Abraham Lincoln when he visited the city in February 1861, and, upon the outbreak of the Secession Crisis in 1861, Mayor Henry threw his and his city's full support to the preservation of the Union. He issued a proclamation that treason against the state is intolerable and will be dealt with swiftly, helped facilitate the raising, training and equipping of troops for both Federal service and for the Pennsylvania Militia out of the city's populace (nearly 10,000 by the end of the war) and saw the city become a critical hub in the transportation of troops to and from the battlefields. During the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign, when the threat of a Confederate strike against the city loomed, he helped organize the defenses of the city. After performing the sad duty of hosting President Lincoln's body after his assassination as his funeral procession went through Philadelphia, Mayor Henry opted not to run for re-election, and left office on January 1, 1866. In his later years he became a Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania and an inspector of Philadelphia's Eastern State Penitentiary.
Philadelphia Mayor. He served as Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1858 until 1866, and saw the city through its participation in the Civil War. A graduate of Princeton University and a member of the Philadelphia Bar, he defeated incumbent mayor Richard Vaux for that office in 1858. He hosted President-elect Abraham Lincoln when he visited the city in February 1861, and, upon the outbreak of the Secession Crisis in 1861, Mayor Henry threw his and his city's full support to the preservation of the Union. He issued a proclamation that treason against the state is intolerable and will be dealt with swiftly, helped facilitate the raising, training and equipping of troops for both Federal service and for the Pennsylvania Militia out of the city's populace (nearly 10,000 by the end of the war) and saw the city become a critical hub in the transportation of troops to and from the battlefields. During the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign, when the threat of a Confederate strike against the city loomed, he helped organize the defenses of the city. After performing the sad duty of hosting President Lincoln's body after his assassination as his funeral procession went through Philadelphia, Mayor Henry opted not to run for re-election, and left office on January 1, 1866. In his later years he became a Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania and an inspector of Philadelphia's Eastern State Penitentiary.
Bio by: RPD2
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