Chapter Five

     Honorable Charles Bingham Penrose was the eldest son and born in Philadelphia, 1798.  He spent a portion of his boyhood in St. Louis.  During the War of 1812, he signed up at one of the volunteer companies in St. Louis.  They were never called into active service.

   His father sent him to Philadelphia to study law under Samuel Ewing, Esq., thus in 1821 Charles was admitted to the bar.

  He moved to Carlisle, Cumberland County (I do not know if this was part of Pennsylvania or Maryland).  He settled into his profession and became very popular.  He had manners, a legal mind, he paid close attention to business and had astounding speech power.

  Early on he became very political and took the leading part in many of the public movements of the time.  His fame as an orator was in great demand at political campaigns.

  In 1824, he married Valeria Fullerton McFunn Biddle
and their children are as follows:

William McFunn Penrose born 1825-died 1872 married Valeria Merchant

Richard Alexander Fullerton Penrose born 1827-died 1909 married Sarah Hannah Boies. These are my grandparents and who the following pages will be about.

Sarah Clementina Penrose born 1829-died 1897 married William Sergant Blight,Esq.

Clement Biddle Penrose born 1832 married Mary Linnard

Lydia Spencer Penrose born 1835 died after 1903 never married

Charles Bingham Penrose born 1838-died 1895 married Clara Andairese

   By 1831, Charles was one of the compilers of Penrose's & Watt's 3 volumes of "Reports of Cases in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania".  For a great many years, he served as a trustee of Dickinson College and 4 of those years he served as secretary of the Board of Trustees.

   In 1833, Charles was elected to the Senate of Pennslyvania, he served 8 years, he served 4 years as Speaker of the Senate and was serving as such during the "Buckshot War".

  He started out as a Democrat of the Jefferson school, he supported Andrew Jackson.  He changed parties and became a Whig, the Democrats were not happy. The Democrats attacked verbally and even charged him with treason.  In 1839, he replied in a speech that is still noted in the Senate.  It took 3 days for him to deliver his speech to the Senate.

   In 1841, he resigned as speaker and senator to take the job of Treasury for the United States.  He held this position at the beginning of President Harrison till the end of President Tyler.

  After the end of this job he headed back to Pennsylvania and opened his practice in Lancaster.  By 1847, he moved to Philadelphia and opened his practice there. He promoted with a passion, the Cumberland Valley Railroad and was able to see it become a valuable public work.

  In 1856, he was elected to the Senate again as a Republican. His family opposed him going back to public life but he did, he served till his death in 1857.