Charlie Smithgall
Charlie Smithgall | |
|---|---|
| 41st Mayor of Lancaster, Pennsylvania | |
| In office January 1998 – January 3, 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Janice Stork |
| Succeeded by | Rick Gray |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 20, 1945 Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | October 18, 2022 (aged 77) Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence | Lancaster, Pennsylvania |
| Alma mater | Philadelphia College Of Pharmacy and Science |
| Profession | Pharmacist, Politician |
Charles W. Smithgall (September 20, 1945 – October 18, 2022) was an American politician, pharmacist, and businessman. Smithgall served as the mayor of
Marriott Hotel, as well as the construction of Clipper Magazine Stadium, the main Queen Street Station of the Red Rose Transit Authority, and Binns Park.[2]
Smithgall, a
cannons and artillery. He acquired one of the largest private collections of cannons in the United States, including the single largest privately-held collection of the artillery from the American Civil War.[2][3] He worked as a consultant for a number of Civil War era films and television series, including Gettysburg in 1993 and Lincoln in 2012.[3][4]
Biography
Early life and education
Smithgall was born in Lancaster and graduated from
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, in 1968.[3] Smithgall married his wife, Debbie Smithgall, in 1972.[3] The couple had one daughter, Allison, who was born in 1979.[3]
Career
Smithgall was the owner of Smithgalls' Pharmacy, a family business founded in 1916.[3] The Smithgall family operated a second pharmacy in Lancaster on Columbia Avenue until the store's closure in 2008.[3]
Prior to becoming mayor of Lancaster, Smithgall was a member of the Northwest Neighborhood Association, which opposed a proposed
Republican Committee of Lancaster County.[3]
Smithgall was elected Mayor of Lancaster in 1997 after his predecessor, two-term Democrat Janice Stork, declined to run for a third term.[3] He defeated the Democratic candidate, Jon Lyons, by 52 to 36 percent of the total vote. Smithgall was sworn into office in January 1998.[3]
Smithgall, a Republican, lost his re-election bid for a third term to Democrat
2009 mayoral election and the 2013 mayoral election.[6]
Canons and artillery
An enthusiast of the
cannons, and owned approximately 40 cannons as of 2009. During an on-air interview after the Independence Day Celebration in Lancaster's Long's Park on July 1, 2012, Smithgall stated that he had over seventy cannons in his collection including the very first cannon purchased by the United States government.[3]
Death
Smithgall died of
Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on October 18, 2022, at age 77.[7]
References
- ^ Lancaster New Era. Archived from the originalon June 5, 2009. Retrieved October 31, 2009.
- ^ a b Nephin, Dan (October 18, 2021). "'A tireless advocate for the city': Former Lancaster mayor Charlie Smithgall dies at 77". LNP. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Hart-Nibbrig, Christaan (June 3, 2009). "Convention Center Series: 1998 Part I: Cannonball Charlie Smithgall". NewsLanc.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2009. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
- ^ Alexander, Larry (November 17, 2012). "For Pa. man, cannon in 'Lincoln' a personal effort". The Morning Call. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
- Lancaster New Era. Archived from the originalon June 29, 2009. Retrieved October 31, 2009.
- ^ "'A tireless advocate for the city': Former Lancaster mayor Charlie Smithgall dies at 77 [update] | Local News | lancasteronline.com". October 18, 2022. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022.
- ^ Yoder, Michael (October 18, 2022). "Charlie Smithgall, Businessman and Former Lancaster Mayor, Dies". The Lancaster Patriot. Retrieved October 18, 2022.