The Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was the collective directorial executive branch of the Pennsylvanian state government between 1777 and 1790. It was headed by a president and a vice president (analogous to a governor and lieutenant governor, respectively). The best-known member of the Council was Benjamin Franklin, who also served as its sixth president.
1776 Constitution
The 1776 Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was framed by a constitutional convention called at the urging of the Continental Congress. The convention began work in Philadelphia on July 15, 1776, less than two weeks following adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution was adopted September 28 of the same year. The document included both A Declaration of the Rights of the Inhabitants of the Commonwealth and a Plan or Frame of Government. The latter includes 47 sections, several of which deal with the formation and function of the Supreme Executive Council.Text of 1776 Pennsylvania Constitution from the Pennsylvania State Archives Text of 1776 Pennsylvania Constitution from the Yale Law SchoolText of 1776, 1790, and 1838 Pennsylvania Constitutions from Jim Means, California University of Pennsylvania
Section 3: "The supreme executive power shall be vested in a president and council."
Section 19: "For the present the supreme executive council of this state shall consist of twelve persons chosen in the following manner..."
The city of Philadelphia and the eleven counties existing at that time each elected a representative to sit on the Council. These eleven counties were Philadelphia (at that time a governmental entity distinct from the City of Philadelphia), Chester, Bucks, Lancaster, York, Cumberland, Berks, Northampton, Bedford, Northumberland, and Westmoreland. Seats were added for Washington, Fayette, Franklin, Montgomery, Dauphin, Luzerne, Huntingdon, and Allegheny as those counties were established. Many of these counties occupied considerably different and often much larger territories in the late 18th century than they presently do.
Counsellors were elected to three-year terms; the terms were staggered so that one third would be contested each year. (Counsellors is the spelling used in the Constitution itself, although the word is also rendered councillors, counsellors, and councilors in other documents.) The president and vice-president of the Council were chosen from those twelve counsellors, elected to one-year terms by an annual joint ballot of the Council and the General Assembly (the state legislature), usually held in November.
Section 20: The Council and its president were given power to
appoint judges, attorneys general, naval officers, and other officers fill offices vacant due to death, resignation, removal, or disqualification correspond with other states prepare business to present to the General Assembly serve as judges on cases of impeachment grant pardons and remit fines (except in cases of impeachment) grant reprieves in cases of treason and murder ensure that the laws and other acts of the General Assembly were carried out lay embargoes and prohibit the export of any commodity (in certain circumstances)
Additionally:
the president of council was to serve as commander in chief of the military forces of the state the Council was ordered to keep an accurate record of its proceedings
Meeting place and time The 1776 Constitution stipulated that the Council meet at the same time and location as the General Assembly. In practice, the Council sat year-round: there was no formal cycle of sessions (e.g. 110th United States Congress) and no specific date for the start of term of councilors or council officers.
The Supreme Executive Council formally convened March 4, 1777. The first president and vice-president were elected the following day. The Council sat in the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, now known as Independence Hall. It met in what had been the Governor's Council Chamber during British rule. The Executive Council, along with the General Assembly, moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, ahead of the British occupation of Philadelphia in the fall of 1777—the last meeting in Philadelphia took place on September 23 and the first in Lancaster on October 1. The Council returned to Philadelphia June 26, 1778.
The Council was replaced by a single governor on December 21, 1790.
Presidents of Council
Seven men served as president of the Supreme Executive Council. (One, George Bryan, was never elected to the position, but today is considered by the Commonwealth to have been a full-fledged governor of Pennsylvania, perhaps due to the length of his term as acting president.) Several figure prominently in the history of Pennsylvania, but none more so than Dr. Benjamin Franklin. His presidency was one of his last acts of public service, and he died less than two years after leaving office. Franklin was also the longest-serving president, having held the office for slightly over three years. There is some question about the de facto end of his term, suggesting that the aging Franklin was not actively involved in affairs of state toward the end of his presidency. (This is certainly not a consensus view, as other sources report that all actions of the Council during his term had Franklin's approval, even if that meant convening the Council at Franklin's home.) The shortest term was that of George Bryan, who served as acting president for just over six months. Although these men may be referred to properly as Presidents of Pennsylvania their office is analogous to the modern office of governor, and they are often included in lists of those who have held the latter title.Prior Governors of Pennsylvania from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Presidents and vice-presidents were styled His Excellency.
President Start of term End of term NotesThomas Wharton Jr. March 5, 1777 May 23, 1778 died in officeGeorge Bryan May 23, 1778 December 1, 1778 Acting President upon death of WhartonJoseph Reed December 1, 1778 November 15, 1781 William Moore November 15, 1781 November 7, 1782 John Dickinson November 7, 1782 October 18, 1785 previously President of Delaware; he did not formally relinquish that title until January 12, 1783Benjamin Franklin October 18, 1785 November 5, 1788Founding Father of the United StatesThomas Mifflin November 5, 1788 December 21, 1790 became first governor of Pennsylvania under 1790 Constitution
Legacy The neighborhood of South Philadelphia contains a series of east-west streets named in honor of Pennsylvania's presidents and early governors. Moving south on South 25th Street are Wharton, Reed and Dickinson Streets. (Bryan, never officially elected to the office, is omitted.) The next street south of Dickinson appears as Franklin Street on Barnes' New Map of the Consolidated City of Philadelphia, 1855. A city ordinance of 1858 changed the name of Franklin Street to its current name, Tasker Street.Ordinances and Joint Resolutions of the Select and Common Councils of the Consolidated City of Philadelphia, 1858 Moore Street, out of sequence, follows after one intervening street (Morris). Moore is followed by Mifflin Street, McKean Street, and Snyder Street (the latter being Pennsylvania's second and third governors under the 1790 Constitution). Wharton Street borders Wharton Square Park, although it is not clear if the park is named after Thomas Wharton or another member of his prominent family. Dickinson College and the Dickinson School of Law, both in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, were named after John Dickinson.
Vice-presidents of Council
Similarly, the office of Vice-President of Pennsylvania is analogous to the modern office of Lieutenant Governor. Of the ten men who held the office, two succeeded to the presidency (the first—Bryan—de facto, the second—Moore—de jure). The longest vice-presidential term was that of George Bryan; he served over two and a half years, although he also served as de facto acting president for six months concurrent with his vice-presidential term. The shortest term was that of Matthew Smith, who served for twelve days in October 1779.
Vice-President Start of term End of term NotesGeorge Bryan March 6, 1777 October 11, 1779 resignedMatthew Smith October 11, 1779 October 23, 1779 resignedWilliam Moore November 11, 1779 November 14, 1781 became president of Council following his term as VPJames Potter November 15, 1781 November 7, 1782 James Ewing November 7, 1782 November 6, 1784 James Irvine November 6, 1784 October 10, 1785 resignedCharles Biddle October 10, 1785 October 31, 1787 Peter Muhlenberg October 31, 1787 October 14, 1788 resignedDavid Redick October 14, 1788 November 5, 1788 George Ross November 5, 1788 December 21, 1790
"Acting" presidents At least one source credits four vice-presidents with having served as acting presidents:
George Bryan (acting president May 23, 1778 – December 1, 1778) James Potter (acting president October 8 – November 7, 1782) Charles Biddle (acting president October 10–18, 1785) David Redick (acting president October 14 – November 5, 1788)listing of Pennsylvania Governors, accessed May 1, 2007.
With the exception of Bryan, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania makes no such distinction, and its listing of the state's early governors includes neither Potter, Biddle, nor Redick. (presidents of Pennsylvania are sometimes included in the listing of former governors). None of these men (including Bryan) was given the title of acting president during his time in office—each continued to be addressed as Vice-President and was titled Acting President only after the fact. (And, regarding all but Bryan, the honor is strictly unofficial.)
During George Bryan's "term" as acting president, the office of president was, in fact, vacant—Thomas Wharton died May 23, 1778, and an election to choose his successor was not held until December 1—due perhaps to the Council's evacuation to Lancaster during that time. At over seven months, Bryan's tenure was such that today he is considered a full-fledged governor by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.