View source for William A. Stone

{{Short description|American politician (1846–1920)}}
{{other people|William Stone}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}

{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = William A. Stone
| image               = William Alexis Stone.jpg
| caption             = 
| order               = 22nd
| office              = Governor of Pennsylvania
| term_start          = January 17, 1899
| term_end            = January 20, 1903
| lieutenant          = [[John P. S. Gobin]]
| predecessor         = [[Daniel H. Hastings]]
| successor           = [[Samuel W. Pennypacker]]
| order2              = Member of the<br/>[[U.S. House of Representatives]]<br/>from [[Pennsylvania]]'s [[Pennsylvania's 23rd congressional district|23rd]] district
| term_start2         = March 4, 1891
| term_end2           = November 9, 1898
| predecessor2        = [[Thomas McKee Bayne]]
| successor2          = [[William Harrison Graham]]
| birth_date          = April 18, 1846
| birth_place         = [[Wellsboro, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1920|3|1|1846|4|18}}
| death_place         = [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| party               = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| profession          = 
| spouse              = Ellen F. Stevens (1870–1878; her death)<br> Elizabeth B. White (1879–1919; her death)
| footnotes           = 
| children            = 4
}}

'''William Alexis Stone''' (April 18, 1846{{spaced ndash}}March 1, 1920) was an American politician who served as the 22nd [[governor of Pennsylvania]], serving from 1899 to 1903.<ref>"[https://www.newspapers.com/image/325157119/?terms=%22David%20Rittenhouse%20Porter%22&match=1 The Governors of Pennsylvania]." Mount Union, Pennsylvania: ''The Mount Union Times'', January 27, 1911, p. 1 (subscription required).</ref>

==Early life and family==
[[File:Mrs Dr Percy D. Hickling.jpg|thumb|left|Mrs Dr Percy D. Hickling]]

Stone was born in [[Wellsboro, Pennsylvania]]. In 1864, Stone enlisted in the [[Union Army]] as a private during the [[American Civil War]], and became a second lieutenant in 1865.<ref name="Dunaway">{{cite book | last1 = Dunaway | first1 = Wayland F. | title = A History of Pennsylvania | url = https://archive.org/details/historyofpennsyl0000duna | url-access = registration | publisher = Prentice-Hall, Inc.| year = 1948|location = New York, New York | page = [https://archive.org/details/historyofpennsyl0000duna/page/469 469]
|quote=...William A. Stone...entered the Union Army as a private in his eighteenth year and in 1865 became second lieutenant.
}}</ref> He continued his military service after the war in the [[Pennsylvania National Guard]]. He attended [[Mansfield State Normal School]] and taught while studying law.

The eldest daughter by his first wife married Dr. Percy D. Hickling, a prominent physician in Washington, D.C. Dr. Hickling was on the Committee of President Cleveland's Inaugural Ball. They were both members of the Shakespeare Club of Washington of which Dr. Hickling was also President.<ref name="Hinman">{{cite book|last1=Hinman|first1=Ida|title=The Washington Sketch Book|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924081310785|date=1895|page=81}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>

[[File:Elizabeth B. White.jpg|thumb|left|Elizabeth B. White]]

Col. William A. Stone's wife was the youngest daughter of Judge R.C. White, of Wellsboro, Ohio. She was connected with one of the oldest and best of Pennsylvania's families. Benjamin Franklin's daughter married into the Bach family, of which her mother was descended, and her mother was a cousin of Dr. William Carpenter and Dr. Mary Carpenter, of London, who, with the Princess Alice, established a Mission School in India. Elizabeth White Stone was born in Tioga County. She attended school in New York City, where she was graduated at a musical academy. They had 4 children, 3 daughters and 1 son.<ref>Hinman 1895, pp. 79, 81{{PD-notice}}</ref>

==Appointments==
In 1872, he was appointed as a clerk for the [[Pennsylvania State House of Representatives]]. Two years later, he ran for his first political office, becoming district attorney of [[Tioga County, Pennsylvania|Tioga County]]. In 1876, he was appointed district attorney for the [[U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania]] by President [[Rutherford B. Hayes]]. He held that post until 1886 when he violated President [[Chester A. Arthur]]'s edict for political office-holders not to campaign for political candidates. Stone campaigned for [[James A. Beaver]], and his removal only increased his popularity.

==Congress and Pennsylvania Governorship==
Stone served four terms in the [[United States House of Representatives]] before running for governor in [[1898 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election|1898]]. During his term in office, Pennsylvania's state debt was eliminated, and a new capitol building was commissioned. After serving as governor, Stone joined his son in private law practice in [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]]. He also served briefly as prothonotary for the [[Pennsylvania Supreme Court]] in 1915. He died on March 1 1920 at 73 years old.

==In Memoriam==
Stone Hall, a residence hall on [[Pennsylvania State University|Penn State's]] [[University Park, Pennsylvania|University Park]] campus is named for Stone.

==References==
<references/>
{{CongBio|S000966}}
*[http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/stone.html The Political Graveyard]

==External links==
*{{Find a Grave}}

{{S-start}}
{{s-par|us-hs}}
{{US House succession box
|state=Pennsylvania
|district=23
|before=[[Thomas McKee Bayne]]
|after=[[William Harrison Graham]]
|years=1891&ndash;1898
}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box | before=[[Daniel H. Hastings]] |title=[[List of governors of Pennsylvania|Governor of Pennsylvania]] | years=1899&ndash;1903 | after=[[Samuel W. Pennypacker]]}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{succession box | title=[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee for [[List of governors of Pennsylvania|Governor of Pennsylvania]] | before=[[Daniel H. Hastings]] | after=[[Samuel W. Pennypacker]] | years=[[1898 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election|1898]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Governors and Presidents of Pennsylvania}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, William A.}}
[[Category:1846 births]]
[[Category:1920 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Wellsboro, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:American people of English descent]]
[[Category:Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Republican Party governors of Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Union army officers]]
[[Category:United States attorneys for the Western District of Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Politicians from Pittsburgh]]
[[Category:Mansfield University of Pennsylvania alumni]]
[[Category:19th-century United States representatives]]