Credit: Courtesy of the State Museum of Pennsylvania
Elected Pennsylvania governor in 1835 on the Anti-Masonic Party ticket, Joseph Ritner (1780-1869) joined with then state legislator Thaddeus Stevens in an aggressive and very public campaign against the Masons. Their attacks failed, however, and Ritner's one term was marred by the scandal over Stevens' misuse of public funds intended for the state rail and canal system.
