THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

INTRODUCED BY STERN, GEIST, FLECK, MILLARD, AUMENT, BAKER, BEAR, CALTAGIRONE, COHEN, CREIGHTON, GEORGE, GILLESPIE, GINGRICH, GRELL, HESS, HICKERNELL, JAMES, LONGIETTI, MANN, MILLER, QUINN, READSHAW, ROCK, ROEBUCK, ROSS, SAYLOR, SONNEY, VEREB, O'NEILL, M. K. KELLER AND HAHN, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012

INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012  

A RESOLUTION

Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Loyal War Governors'

Conference in Altoona, Blair County.

WHEREAS, By the middle of 1862, the Union's prospects in the

American Civil War were not promising because they were marked

by substantial military setbacks throughout the country; and

WHEREAS, Prompted by this lack of progress and the real

possibility of the South's cementing its independence,

Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin called a meeting of northern

governors in Altoona, Blair County, on September 24 and 25,

1862; and

WHEREAS, This historic meeting, known as the Loyal War

Governors' Conference, occupies a special place in history as a

hallmark political and moral moment of the conflict; and

WHEREAS, At the conclusion of this meeting, the 13 governors

of the states in the Union issued a declaration in favor of a

more forceful prosecution of the war and in support of the

Emancipation Proclamation, which had been announced just days

earlier by President Lincoln; and

WHEREAS, The declaration affirmed the governors' offer to

raise additional troops for the Union and to support the

policies of the administration to preserve the Union, which

ultimately helped prevent foreign intervention to assist the

South; and

WHEREAS, The declaration also gave strength to the

President's emancipation efforts and foreshadowed the social

development of a reunified nation that would no longer allow a

portion of its population to be held in chains; and

WHEREAS, The 150th anniversary of this little known but

historically significant event is being celebrated in Altoona

for four days starting September 27, 2012, with free lectures,

films, exhibits, interactive displays, reenactments and a visit

by the Pennsylvania Civil War Roadshow; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives commemorate the

150th anniversary of the Loyal War Governors' Conference in

Altoona, Blair County, and congratulate the dedicated

individuals and organizations of the Blair County Civil War

coalition for their hard work and commitment to marking this

historic occasion for the benefit of the citizens of this

Commonwealth and all other Americans.