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22-515: The Oaklands Cemetery was founded in response to the West Chester borough council's closure of graveyards within the borders of West Chester and the discontinuation of future burials allowed within it. The ordinance passed on July 21, 1851, and had an effective date of August 20. It was enacted most likely in reaction to cholera epidemics in town. The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed, and Governor William F. Johnston approved, an act to incorporate

44-543: A House of Representatives with 203 members, making it the second-largest state legislature in the nation, behind New Hampshire , and the largest full-time legislature. Senators are elected for a term of four years. Representatives are elected for a term of two years. The Pennsylvania general elections are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years. A vacant seat must be filled by special election,

66-427: A U.S. Senator and War of 1812 hero, be moved to Oaklands to bolster interest in burials there. Barnard's remains were exhumed, transported to Oaklands in a grand procession, and interred beneath a newly erected marble obelisk while Darlington gave a speech lauding Barnard's deeds and the "beautiful rural repository of the dead" where he now lay. Interest in the cemetery rose as a result, and by their 1855 annual meeting,

88-503: Is now the Chestnut Grove Cemetery Annex and as of 1910 consisted of ten acres of land owned and managed by African American residents. DeBaptiste Funeral Home managed the property as of 2013. Painter Horace Pippin , politician Harry W. Bass , and forester Ralph E. Brock are among the interments there. A portion of Oaklands Cemetery was allotted for Roman Catholic burials. This section became St. Agnes Cemetery, adjoining

110-699: The State Capitol building in Harrisburg . In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly and was unicameral . Since the Constitution of 1776 , the legislature has been known as the General Assembly. The General Assembly became a bicameral legislature in 1791. The General Assembly has 253 members, consisting of a Senate with 50 members and

132-457: The 19th century, the culture of corruption in the General Assembly got so bad that from 1866 to 1873, about 8,700 of 9,300 acts passed in that timeframe were local or special acts. The frustration of the people of the Commonwealth with its legislature finally boiled over in 1871 and resulted in a 1873 constitutional convention and a 1874 constitutional amendment. One of the amendment's reforms

154-574: The House of Representatives : Joanna McClinton ( D ) Pennsylvania State Senate Minority The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly , the Pennsylvania state legislature . The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg . Senators are elected for four-year terms, staggered every two years, such that half of

176-499: The Oaklands Cemetery on the north. An Orthodox Friends cemetery was established across the street from Oaklands in 1874. Arctic explorer Isaac Israel Hayes and Chester County historian Gilbert Cope are among the interments there. Pennsylvania General Assembly Minority Minority The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania . The legislature convenes in

198-630: The Senate is the lieutenant governor , who has no vote except to break a tie vote. Senators must be at least 25 years of age. They must be a U.S. citizen and a Pennsylvania resident four years, and a resident of that district one year prior to their election and must reside in that district during their term. President of the Senate: Austin Davis (D) President Pro Tempore of the Senate: Kim Ward (R) As of January 3, 2023: The Senate

220-424: The cemetery on April 14, 1851. The corporators included some of West Chester's most prominent politicians and businessmen, including Robert Cornwell , William Darlington , William Everhart , Joseph J. Lewis , and Washington Townsend . The corporation raised money through contributions by prominent citizens and purchased 23 acres of land from Joseph L. Taylor located one and a half miles north of West Chester for

242-456: The cemetery. The Oaklands Cemetery was dedicated on December 10, 1853. Samuel Rush, a noted lawyer, delivered the principal address, and George W. Pearce wrote the dedication ode. Bodies from the closed borough cemeteries were reburied at Oaklands the following year, along with the start of new burials. Burials grew so slowly that in July 1854, Darlington proposed that the remains of Isaac D. Barnard ,

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264-528: The committee, is appointed by the other four and may not be an elected or appointed official. If the leadership cannot decide on a fifth member, the State Supreme Court may appoint him or her. While in office, legislators may not hold civil office. Even if a member resigns, the Constitution states that the legislator may not be appointed to civil office for the duration of the term to which the legislator

286-533: The consent of both chambers. The Pennsylvania General Assembly has a lengthy history as one of the most openly corrupt state legislatures in the United States, going back over two centuries to the era of the Thirteen Colonies . In 1794, while visiting western Pennsylvania , Alexander Hamilton wrote to Rufus King : "The political putrefaction of Pennsylvania is greater than I had any idea of". During

308-665: The consent of the other. The governor may call a special session in order to press for legislation on important issues. As of 2017, only 35 special sessions have been called in the history of Pennsylvania. The Assembly meets in the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg , which was completed in 1906. Under the Pennsylvania Constitution , the Assembly must meet in the City of Harrisburg and can move only if given

330-413: The date of which is set by the presiding officer of the respective house. Senators must be at least 25 years old, and Representatives at least 21 years old. They must be citizens and residents of the state for a minimum of four years and reside in their districts for at least one year. Individuals who have been convicted of felonies, including embezzlement, bribery, and perjury, are ineligible for election;

352-450: The incorporators could boast of fifty-two burials, including thirty-six transfers from other graveyards. As burials increased, the incorporators laid roads, created a small lake, and built a receiving vault , sexton's cottage, and stone gateway for the new cemetery. By 1888, the cemetery featured an ornamental fountain as well as a chapel atop a slight rise called Chapel Hill. Towering trees and winding paths made this garden cemetery "one of

374-457: The most attractive places in the vicinity," according to the state board of trade. A memorial at the cemetery commemorates the seven crewmembers and passengers who died when their B-25 bomber crashed in a forested area of the cemetery on May 7, 1944. In 1862, additional land was purchased as an annex for the burial of African American decedents. The Chestnut Grove Cemetery Company was incorporated to manage this property on October 27, 1862. It

396-588: The necessary exception. This is why Pennsylvania remains the only U.S. state that has not yet completed a comprehensive codification of its general statutory law. Since 1970, Pennsylvania has been undertaking its first official codification process, resulting in the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes . With over 300 years of uncodified statutes to go through, the codification process is still not yet complete after over five decades of work. President Pro Tempore : Kim Ward (R) Speaker of

418-456: The seats are contested at each election. Even- and odd-numbered district seats are contested in separate election years. The president pro tempore of the Senate becomes the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania in the event of the sitting lieutenant governor's removal, resignation or death. In this case the president pro tempore and lieutenant governor would be the same person. The Pennsylvania Senate has been meeting since 1791. The president of

440-456: The state Constitution also adds the category of "other infamous crimes," which can be broadly interpreted by state courts. No one who has been previously expelled from the General Assembly may be elected. Legislative districts are drawn every ten years, following the U.S. Census . They are drawn by a five-member commission, of which four members are the majority and minority leaders of each house (or their delegates). The fifth member, who chairs

462-439: Was elected. The General Assembly is a continuing body within the term for which its representatives are elected. It convenes at 12 o'clock noon on the first Tuesday of January each year and then meets regularly throughout the year. Both houses adjourn on November 30 in even-numbered years, when the terms of all members of the House and half the members of the Senate expire. Neither body can adjourn for more than three days without

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484-476: Was to prohibit the General Assembly from writing statutes covering more than one subject . Unfortunately, the amendment (today found at Section 3 of Article III of the Pennsylvania Constitution) was so poorly written that it also prevented the General Assembly from undertaking a comprehensive codification of the Commonwealth's statutes until another amendment was pushed through in 1967 to provide

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