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25-513: Findley Township is named for William Findley , a Pennsylvania congressman. According to the United States Census Bureau , the township has a total area of 21.2 square miles (55 km), of which 21.1 square miles (55 km) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km) (0.24%) is water. As of the census of 2000, there were 2,305 people, 542 households, and 407 families residing in the township. The population density

50-642: A Provincial Convention ought to be called for inaugurating a form of Colonial government, in compliance with the recommendation of Congress”. Until this point, many influential leaders in Pennsylvania had not supported independence from the Crown, but had favored reconciliation. The Continental Congress, however, inspired the more radical elements in Pennsylvania to overmaster these more conservative leaders. Shortly afterwards, in June 1776, these committees called

75-795: A farm in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania , where he married and started a family. Findley also worked for a time as a weaver. He owned slaves as well. In the American Revolution he served on the Cumberland County Committee of Observation , and enlisted as a private in the local militia, and rose to the rank of captain of the Seventh Company of the Eighth Battalion of Cumberland County Associators . In 1783 he moved his family across

100-841: A state convention, which met on July 15, 1776. The decisions made at that convention would, when ratified, cause the previous government to be completely superseded; it established a Council of Safety to rule in the interim, and it drew up the commonwealth (state) constitution, which was adopted on September 28, 1776. The change of government, was, however, opposed by many of the commonwealth’s citizens - John Dickinson, James Wilson , Robert Morris , and Frederick Muhlenberg , among others. The constitutional convention met in Philadelphia and elected Benjamin Franklin , president, Colonel George Ross , vice-president, John Morris, secretary, and Jacob Garrigues, assistant-secretary. From its inception,

125-610: The Allegheny Mountains to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania . Upon arrival in Westmoreland County, Findley was almost immediately elected to the Council of Censors . On this Council, which was to decide whether the radical Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 needed revision, he established himself as an effective supporter of what the "best people" considered the radical position in state politics. In

150-500: The Continental Congress 's Superintendent of Finance, of using the bank to enrich himself personally. Findley also publicized the statement of fellow legislator Hugh Henry Brackenridge that "the people are fools" for opposing the bank, contributing to Brackenridge's defeat in the subsequent election. Findley was also a major opposition voice in the Pennsylvania convention that ratified the federal Constitution and

175-568: The First Continental Congress and the establishment of a committee of correspondence to communicate with the other colonies. Although these measures were subsequently adopted by the Assembly, other public-action committees that had been supported by large public demonstrations (with attendees numbering in the thousands) outpaced Assembly action, for example establishing a military association for defense (though this action

200-631: The state legislature and represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. House from 1791 until 1799 and from 1803 to 1817. By the end of his career, he was the longest serving member of the House, and was the first to hold the honorary title " Father of the House ". Findley was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1789. William Findley was born in Ulster , Ireland and emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1763. In 1768, he bought

225-483: The "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania." Three other states ( Kentucky , Massachusetts , and Virginia ) are presently self-designated as " commonwealths ." Additionally, the constitution served as a template for Vermont's 1777 constitution , which gave birth to the state (or what historians refer to as the Vermont Republic , because claim over the land was disputed by both New York and New Hampshire , until it

250-649: The Deputy Governor, John Penn . Extralegal committees were established that would eventually displace and take over the government. For example, in June 1774, after Governor Penn refused to convene the Assembly to consider the question of discussing some action to the British government’s response to the Boston Tea Party , a public meeting held under the leadership of John Dickinson and Thomas Willing inspired 8,000 people in Philadelphia to call for

275-659: The Laws of England and demonstrated that his reference had been correct. Findley was one of the leaders in the convention that, in 1789, wrote a new Constitution for Pennsylvania . As an Anti-Federalist , Findley wrote papers under the name of "An Officer of the Late Continental Army". After serving in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives , he was elected to the Second Congress from

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300-767: The Pennsylvania General Assembly took place on November 28, 1776. Thomas Wharton Jr. , who had been the President of the Committee of Safety, was chosen as President of the Supreme Executive Council in June 1777 and became, in effect, the first Governor of the Commonwealth. It contained several innovations that were quite radical for that era, including: The constitution also established Pennsylvania's official title,

325-790: The Sixth Congress, he was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate because he allowed his name to be placed on the local ticket to rally western support for Thomas McKean 's campaign for governor . Elected to the Eighth Congress, he served through the Fourteenth , the turbulent years of the Burr conspiracy , the embargo , and the War of 1812 as a strong supporter of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison . He

350-423: The age of 18 living with them, 65.7% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.93. In the township the population was spread out, with 14.3% under

375-466: The age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 41.5% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 238.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 279.8 males. The median income for a household in the township was $ 42,153, and the median income for a family was $ 46,250. Males had a median income of $ 30,495 versus $ 19,471 for females. The per capita income for

400-434: The convention arrogated to itself the interim political power of the state. The constitution was completed on September 28, at which time it was read in convention for the last time, signed by the president and members, and transmitted to the Committee of Safety, with directions to deliver it to the general assembly of the state at their first meeting, immediately after they should have chosen their speaker. The first meeting of

425-636: The district west of the mountains in 1791. William Findley served in the Second through the Fifth congresses. A Jeffersonian Republican, Findley opposed the financial plans of Federalist Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton and supported the cause of states' rights . As a voice of reason, in 1794 he helped to calm the passions of the Whiskey Insurrection . Unlike many Democratic-Republicans , he opposed slavery. After declining nomination to

450-629: The following years Findley served in the Ninth through Twelfth General Assemblies and on the Supreme Executive Council . Findley was an early exponent of a political style in which candidates openly expressed their interests and proposals, as opposed to the "disinterested" style of governance many Founding Fathers envisioned. In 1786 he was a critic of the Bank of North America , the nation's first central bank; he accused Robert Morris ,

475-710: The later French Republic's formation under the French Constitution of 1793 . The constitution also included a declaration of rights that coincided with the Virginia Declaration of Rights of 1776. Pennsylvania's new constitution was tied to ongoing political changes within the province in 1776. As the Revolution evolved, the views of some political leaders differed from those of the Provincial Assembly (and its supporters) and of

500-473: The township was $ 11,052. About 4.4% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line , including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over. 41°12′30″N 80°7′23″W  /  41.20833°N 80.12306°W  / 41.20833; -80.12306 William Findley William Findley (c. 1741 – April 4, 1821) was an Irish-born farmer and politician from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania . He served in both houses of

525-475: Was 109.1 inhabitants per square mile (42.1/km). There were 564 housing units at an average density of 26.7 per square mile (10.3/km). The racial makeup of the township was 84.56% White , 14.79% African American , 0.13% Native American , 0.04% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 0.09% from other races , and 0.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.99% of the population. There were 542 households, out of which 33.2% had children under

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550-541: Was a signer of the Minority Dissent. Findley was regularly mocked during convention's debates by gentry who attempted to portray him an uneducated ' country hick '. At one point, Constitutional Convention delegate James Wilson and Pennsylvania Chief Justice Thomas McKean disputed one of Findley's statements about jury trials in Sweden; Findley returned two days later with William Blackstone 's Commentaries on

575-552: Was known as "The Venerable Findley," and because he was the senior representative in years of service, he was in 1811 designated " Father of the House ", the first man to be awarded that honorary title. He died in his home along the Loyalhanna Creek on April 5, 1821, and is buried in Latrobe 's Unity Cemetery. Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 The Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 (ratified September 28, 1776)

600-596: Was later validated by the Assembly’s establishment of the Committee of Safety). In May 1776, the Second Continental Congress called for dispensing with Royal Governors and Assemblies that did not act with the groups (parties) opposing the Crown. The Pennsylvania Provincial Conference in June 1776 resolved “that the present Assembly of the Colony is ‘not competent to the exigencies of affairs’ and that

625-480: Was the state's first constitution following its declaration of independence and has been described as the most democratic in America. It was drafted by Robert Whitehill , Timothy Matlack , Dr. Thomas Young , George Bryan , James Cannon , and Benjamin Franklin . Pennsylvania's innovative and highly democratic government structure, featuring a unicameral legislature and collective executive, may have influenced

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