The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-09-11
Wright and rilden.

Robert f. Wright, the nominee foI
Auditor General, was born in Allentown
in IS47, and as ayoung man entered the
office of civil engineer, receiving
thorough training in that profession.
He then went TO Schuylkill county,
where he held for sometime a respopsl-
bic position in the service of the Phila-
delphia and Reading Railroad Company
under Chief Engineer Charles f. Byers.
Eventually, however, he entered upon
the study of the law, and was admimitt-
ed to the Bar in 1865. He associated
with his father in practice until the
death of the latter, and soon became one
of the leading lawyers of Eastern Penn
svlvania. In 1886 he succeeded to the
Presidency of the Allentown National
Bank of which he had previously been
the attorney.
Mr. Wright has taken a prominent
and active part in the politicalaffairs for
more than a decade past. Frequently
urged to become candidate for local
offices, he always declined, notably in
1880, when he was nominated for
state Senate hy an almost unanimous
vote. but he has served as chairman of
the Democratic county committee, and
as delegate to many state conventions,
being the presiding officer of that OF
1888. In the state convention of 1856 his
name was presented for the Gubernatorial
nomination, and he received seventeen
votes on the first ballot, the nomination
ultimately going to Lieutenant-G Governor
Chauncey f. Black. His name was
! again presented for the first place on the
ticket at the state convention last year,
but he received only eleven votes, Patti
son being nominated on the first ballot
by an overwhelming majority. He was
then urged for second place on the
ticket and received 157 votes for Lieu
tenant Governor, to 191 for Chauncy r.
Black and three for H X Sloan
A L. Tilden, nominee for State Treas
urer, was born in Garrettsville, Portage
county, o., on August p, 1884. He at
tended the public schools of his native
town and the Nelson Academy. He
started in business for himself at the
early age of eighteen as a lumberman in
the pine regions of Michigan. ln1So3
Mr.. Tilden removed to Erie county, Pa,
and engaged in the lumber business un-
til 1857, when he lost all he had accu-
mulated by the panic of that year. He
then went into the oil trade. and from
that into the employ of the Atlantic and
Great Western railroad as General agent,
in which position he continued until
1866, when he purchased farm on the
flats of French Creek, in lie Beouff town
ship, Erie county, where he made his
home ever since
Since living in Erie county Mr.. Tilden
has taken prominent part in politics,
being a frequent delegate to Democratic
county and State Conventions. He was
elected County Commissioner in 1873
and reelected in 1881. He is one of
the leaders in the Granger and tine Farm
ers' Alliance Last year the latter or
ganization selected him as their choice
among the Democrats for Congress, and
he was unanimously indorsed by the
Democratic Conference of the Twenty
sixth district, embracing Erie and Craw
ford counties, but he was defeated by
Matthew Griswold, the Republican can
didate, by SSS plurality. Two years be-
fore the district had been carried by the
Republican candidate 10y over , 200 plu
rality. In January last, on the inaugur-
alton of Governor Pattison, Mr.. Tilden
was appointed Deputy Secretary of the
Commonwealth, position for which he
was urged by leading Democrats thro ugh
out the state.