Elijah F. Pennypacker | |
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Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the Chester County district | |
In office 1835–1836 | |
Preceded by | Oliver Alison, Samuel McCleane, Wilmer Worthington, Thomas I. ? |
Succeeded by | John Parker, Abraham R. McIlvaine, Maurice Richardson, Isaac Downing |
In office 1832–1833 | |
Preceded by | Thomas Ashbridge, Matthias Pennypacker, Arthur Andrews, Benjamin Griffith |
Succeeded by | Oliver Alison, Samuel McCleane, Wilmer Worthington, Thomas I. ? |
Personal details | |
Born | Elijah Funk Pennypacker November 20, 1804 Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Died | January 4, 1888 Chester County, Pennsylvania, U.S. | (aged 83)
Resting place | Schuylkill Friends Meeting Cemetery |
Spouses | Sarah W. Coates
(m. 1831; died 1841)Hannah Adamson (m. 1843) |
Children | 9 |
Occupation | Politician |
Known for | Station master of the Underground Railroad |
Elijah Funk Pennypacker (November 20, 1804 – January 4, 1888) was a politician, abolitionist and station master in the Underground Railroad in the United States, in the years leading up to the American Civil War. He operated in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Pennypacker's home, White Horse Farm, was a safe house during the time that he participated in the Underground Railroad. As a station master in the Underground Railroad, Pennypacker reportedly aided hundreds of fugitive slaves in their escape to freedom, without any having been apprehended by authorities or by bounty hunters. He also served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing Chester County from 1832 to 1833 and from 1835 to 1836.