Fidelity to his friends and employers was, indeed, a marked trait of his character, but being without much suavity or affability of manners, it was always a marvel to people who did not watch him closely how he maintained for so many years influence and popularity with his party. But he was a constant worker, a man of unyielding pluck and mental force: he was set in his own way and inflexible even to obstinacy. Accordingly, often when defeated im court, he went to the Legislature and procured some explanatory act that enabled him to enter a new plea for his client. Besides, while other young attorneys were spending time conversing in barrooms, or in social intercourse with ladies, Mr. Sterigere was hard at work in his office.

The secret of his power, moreover, was the unyielding fidelity he always maintained to party friends. He had all the second-class politicians of the county as his retainers, and had promised most of the working men of the party small offices, such as he could secure them by his influence. In every part of his bailiwick he had men who were devoted to his interests and aspirations. The ancient relation of lord and clansmen was not more real than the tie that bound John B. Sterigere and his friends together.

In 1835 Mr. S. was taken up for Senator by his party, but owing to the division about Wolf and Muhlenberg the whole ticket was defeated and he beaten by James Paul, a Whig or anti-Mason.

A law having been passed to revise the Constitution, Mr. Sterigere was nominated as delegate, elected, and took quite an active part in the debates of that body. He never hesitated at the extremest doctrines of what was then regarded as national Democracy. This was the period, it may be added, when proslavery pretensions and Northern subserviency were inaugurated. Pennsylvania Hall, in Philadelphia, had just been burned by a mob in the endeavor to extirpate the Abolitionists, the story having been started that "white and black persons were seen coming from the hall in Sixth street, arm in arm, during a meeting of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society." Mr. Sterigere and others in the convention, desiring to testify their abhorrence of abolitionism, and to please national leaders of both parties, proposed to make progress in the direction the nation was then drifting by inhibiting by constitutional law negro suffrage, which up to that time had existed in Pennsylvania to a limited extent. It was customary when colored men were freeholders to assess and allow them to vote. Mr. Sterigere therefore moved that the word "white" be inserted in the new instrument,

which motion, after much debate and opposition, finally prevailed. This unjust offering to slavery and the spirit of caste was a part of our elementary law for a quarter of a century, and only removed at the last convention, advocated by George N. Corson, Esq.,of our county, who then owned and occupied the identical law office Mr. Sterigere held at the time the "white" clause was inserted. This may be set down as historical retribution.

About this time there was a contest prosecuted before the Senate for the seat held by Thomas S. Bell, Esq., of Chester, by Nathaniel Brooke, also of that county, the latter securing his seat after long delay. The claim grew out of a clerical error made in our county in the Trappe district, by which Bell wrongfully received the certificate of election. The Herald and Free Press charged Mr. Sterigere with being privy to the corrupt return in such language that Mr. S. commenced suit for libel, and it was a long time in the courts. Finally the two Whig associates overruled the President Judge upon some question of law or fact, and the trial came to nothing.

In 1839 Mr. Sterigere was again taken up for State Senator, and elected in a district composed of Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery. As the new Constitution had reduced the term from four to three years, Senators had to draw lots for the long or short term. Mr. Sterigere drew the short period, going out at the expiration of one year. Accordingly in 1840, the next year, he was again put up by the Democracy, but defeated before the people by Abraham Brower, a Whig. Before the next Senatorial election in 1843, Mr. Sterigere had enough influence at Harrisburg to get our county detached and made a Senatorial district of itself, and that fall he was of course nominated and elected for three years, which he served out to the satisfaction of his party friends at least. In 1846 Mr. Sterigere closed his Senatorial career, although he had been nominated for the place the third time, being now defeated by George Richards, of Pottstown. This was the last occasion of his coming before the people for a public office at the polls, though the very year he died (1852) he was a candidate for Senator before the county convention, but beaten by John C. Smith, of Pottstown, who was himself defeated before the people by Benjamin Frick, of Limerick. Thus Mr. Sterigere was twice elected Senator, serving four years as such, was thrice defeated for the office before the people, and once failed of a nomination as just stated.

During his term in the Senate, however, he wielded a wide influ

ence, and while giving Shunk's administration a reasonable support, was all the time especially laboring to promote Mr. Buchanan's national interests.

In 1847 he was really though not nominally chairman of the committee on resolutions at the preparatory county meeting, and they were moderately and carefully drawn, calculated to pave the way for the advancement of his friend, Mr. Buchanan, to the Presidency. In that also he was disappointed, for Cass instead of Buchanan was nominated the following year. That autumn Governor Shunk was re-elected, but early the next year resigned, and soon after died, making a vacancy in the Gubernatorial office to be filled at the next ensuing election. This emergency created a lively competition among our Democratic statesmen for the succession. Hon. Morris Longstreth, who had moved into our county from Philadelphia, and obtained the office of Associate Judge, and afterwards Canal Commissioner, had pressed himself forward as a prominent candidate. Hon. Jacob Fry, Jr., also had some pretensions. Mr. Sterigere set himself vigorously at work to checkmate Longstreth, whom he considered a sort of interloper, or what in modern phrase is called "a carpet-bagger."

Accordingly, pending the Governor's election in 1848, Mr. Sterigere secured, by a public meeting of Democratic citizens at Pottstown on the 31st of July, a popular nomination for himself to succeed Johnston, who, as President of the Senate, was acting Governor. It is not certainly known, however, whether Mr. Sterigere's chief motive in this was a serious move for the Governorship himself, or merely to create a diversion against Longstreth, but the first is more probable, for he was a man of unbounded ambition. There was then much plotting and counterplotting among these Democratic politicians, and it so happened (as in Mr. Sterigere's case when first nominated to Congress) both Sterigere and Fry were pushed aside when the convention met, and Morris Longstreth taken up, but finally defeated by William F. Johnston by two hundred and ninety-nine votes. There were ill natured persons who did not hesitate to say that Mr. Sterigere was glad of the result.

In 1849 Mr. Sterigere seemed to have fallen from the lead of his party, as his name does not appear in the proceedings at either of the annual convocations. The same remark applies the following year, though he was again chairman of the county committee. Having failed in present Gubernatorial aspirations himself, his only desire now was to promote the hopes of his life-long friend, James

Buchanan, for the Presidency, and through him secure a national office. Accordingly, though failing in health, he continued to partly edit and control the Register in that interest, and when the national convention was called to meet in Baltimore in 1852, having been elected a delegate from our district, and leaving his bed, sick and feeble, attended the great convocation over the "Union just saved" by the Compromise bill, confidently hoping to see his friend chosen, and assist in the result. At that time Mr. Sterigere was so ill and helpless that he had for some time previously employed a trusty man, named John Williams, as nurse, and when he started for Baltimore was accompanied by an intimate friend and also by a young colored man as servant to provide for his comfort and welfare. In this patriotic hope Mr. S. was also disappointed, as the claims of "Pennsylvania's favorite son" were overlooked, and Franklin Pierce chosen in his stead. From the occurrence of this event till his death the following fall, his health never rallied, and he did not live to see his friend chosen, as he was, at the next trial in 1856. Had he so survived he would undoubtedly have been either a Cabinet officer or chosen for a foreign mission. But we have anticipated.

Some of Mr. Sterigere's most valuable service to the public was performed at home after the conclusion of his Congressional career and during his time in the Senate, when, like some ancient kings of whom we read in history, he went at work "to build us a city.” Scarcely any words of ours can do justice to Mr. Sterigere's labors and public spirit in this matter; for after he was elected to the Town Council of Norristown in 1836 he worked "in season and out of season," and without compensation, too, except curses and misrepresentation from many who did not at all appreciate his efforts in the way of town improvements.

A commission consisting of Alan W. Corson, Evan Jones, Henry Scheetz and George Richards had previously been appointed by act of Assembly, with full power "to lay out, widen, vacate, extend, and improve the streets and lanes of Norristown." They performed their duty, aided by an engineer, Mr. Gill. The commissioners recommended the widening of Lafayette and Penn streets, which were formerly called Brick and Court-House alleys, and considerable excavations on Penn and Airy streets, with the necessary setting back of stables and fences, had to be done. The Town Council enacted that these improvements should be made, and property owners were required to conform to the new regulation. Now

began a contest between fossil citizens and improvement men, and Mr. Sterigere was just the leader to head the latter. He was honest and unselfish, so far as private gain was concerned, arbitrary and self-willed in an eminent degree, and therefore just the man for rough knocks and a long fight. As phrenologists say, he had a large "bump of order," and a nice perception of symmetry, cleanliness, and beauty, being always remarkably neat and becoming in his own attire. Hence he must have seen in imagination the beautiful town we are now enjoying as the reward of his labors.

Armed with the law and his own strong will, he ordered citizens to remove their nuisances from the street and to conform to the statute. The excavations about the court house were dubbed "Sterigere's canals," but heedless of opposition he pushed the work till the "stable" or "cow" alleys began to look like streets, as seen at present. There were piazzas also built over the sidewalk at most of the hotels, and high walls on the line separating streets and footwalks. These were removed under protest by the owners, or by Council, and streets and walks leveled, curbed and paved nearly as they now are. A few other influential men, such as W. H. Slingluff and Adam Slemmer, President of Council, sustained him and co-operated, but the brunt of the battle rested on Mr. Sterigere. Towards the last of these improvements he got himself appointed one of the regulators, and many grades were adjusted by him to meet the common design. Almost any time Mr. Sterigere could be seen on the street taking ranges or making levels with his compass, for he plied his surveying instruments, with a laboring assistant (gratuitously, so far as he was concerned), just because he desired things "exactly right." He was always on the lead. Another influential member of Council used to say that unless Mr. S. was bell-wether he would not go in the flock. Sometimes Mr. S. did actually do some arbitrary and most unwarranted things, such as twice changing the grade of Middle alley* to accommodate a friend in the shedding of waste water away from his premises. Thus for about ten years, from 1836, when he was first put in Council, he was the ruling spirit of the borough authority. Towards the close of his dynasty he would often give people volunteer "orders" to remove some nuisance at their front door, or to conform to ordinance, with the air of an autocrat, and was often thought needlessly captious and precise, thus getting himself many enemies. He did,

*There was an assertion current about that time that Mr. Sterigere first had that avenue made a public highway by act of Assembly, then repealed the act, and afterwards had it made public again by another act.