Hiram Conard Hoover was one of the few politicians who represented Montgomery County, particularly in the Wissahickon Valley Region, in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives during the Civil War.
Hiram Conard Hoover (1822-1911) was born in Gwynedd on October 23rd to Philip and May Hoover.
His descendants were Palatine settlers who were from Switzerland, and came to Philadelphia from 1727-1776.
Hiram was educated in common and select schools and studied surveying while retrieving his literacy education. He was talented in music at an early age, and used his talent to teach music and organize church choirs.
Hiram was a member of the First Troop of Montgomery County Calvary. "He was active and useful in civil, educational and religious affairs, and did much toward the development of his neighborhood."
Fun Fact #1: Hiram was an officer of the First Troop of MontCo when the Philadelphia Nativist Riots of 1844 broke out. The First Troop of MontCo was the first companies that put the end of the series of riots.
In 1849, he purchased an estate in Norriton Township where he continued to live there for the rest of his life. When the Stony Creek Railroad was built in 1872 through parts of his land, his neighbors thought of giving him the opportunity to build homes and stores around the railroad for business purposes. That was how the town Hooverton was created!
In 1862, he was elected in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives as a Democrat, and served for 3 terms (1862, 1863, and 1864).
Fun Fact #2: Hiram was a chairman of the PA House Agriculture Committee in 1863.
After serving 3 terms in office, Hiram was then elected as an Associate Judge of Montgomery County, and served until 1875.
During his life he served as:
Justice of the Peace (nearly 20 years)
School Director (17 years)
Chairman of the Democratic County Committee (3 years)
Trustee of Ursinus College (25 years) and Franklin and Marshall College (5 years)
Bibliography
"HIRAM CONRAD HOOVER." Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Accessed January 14, 2021. https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/BiosHistory/MemBio.cfm?ID=7644&body=H.
Historical Sketches: A Collection of Papers Prepared for the Historical Society of Montgomery County, Volume 4. (Norristown: Herald Printing and Binding Rooms, 1910): 1-4.
Scott, J. D. Montgomery County 1877, Norriton, 1877.
Wiley, Samuel T. Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the County, Together with an Introductory Historical Sketch. (Philadelphia: Biographical Publishing Company, 1895): 63-66.
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