Senator
George E. Snyder
Member of the Maryland Senate
from the 1st senatorial district
In office
1959–1974
Preceded byCharles L. Downey (R)
Succeeded byJohn P. Corderman (D)
Personal details
Born(1929-01-12)January 12, 1929
Hagerstown, Maryland
DiedApril 5, 2017(2017-04-05) (aged 88)
Boone, North Carolina
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseKaren E. Snyder
Children6
Alma materB.A., Public Administration, University of Maryland
attended the University of Maryland School of Law
OccupationPolitician, businessman, author, and inventor
Signature

George Elmer Snyder (January 12, 1929 – April 5, 2017[1]) was an American politician, businessman, author, inventor, and marketing professional. He served in the Maryland State Senate from 1959 to 1974. Snyder served as the Majority leader of the Maryland Senate and was the Chairman of the Maryland Senate Finance Committee from 1971 to 1974.

Biography

Born in Hagerstown, Maryland, Snyder attended Washington County Public Schools. He then graduated from the University of Maryland and attended the University of Maryland School of Law. Snyder was married to Karen Englehart Snyder and had six children and ten grandchildren.[2] He served in elected office as a Democrat,[2] although he ran as a Republican in the 1982 Florida Senate Race for the seat occupied by Lawton Chiles.[1] He served as the President of the National Taxpayers Union and led a nationwide effort to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment to the United States Constitution. Snyder passed away in 2017 at the Glenbridge Health and Rehabilitation Center in Boone, North Carolina.[3]

Political career

Maryland General Assembly

In 1958 at the age of 29, Snyder was elected to serve in the Maryland State Senate representing Washington County. He served a total of four terms, eventually retiring from Maryland politics in 1974 after withdrawing from the Democratic primary for Governor of Maryland. By 1971, Snyder served as the Democratic Senate Majority Leader, member of the Legislative Council, and was Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. He was a member of the Maryland delegation to the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago where he eventually voted to nominate Hubert Humphrey to become the democratic nominee for President of the United States.[4]

Election results

Year[5] Office Election Date Subject Party Votes  % Opponent Party Votes  %
1958 Senator, 1st senatorial district Primary May 20 George E. Snyder Democratic 3,921 53.4% Myron L. Bloom Democratic 3,423 46.6%
1958 Senator, 1st senatorial district General November 4 George E. Snyder Democratic 14,199 54.7% Omer T. Kaylor Jr. Republican 11,763 45.3%
1962 Senator, 1st senatorial district Primary May 15 George E. Snyder Democratic 6,336 79.7% J. Joseph Allen Democratic 1,610 20.3%
1962 Senator, 1st senatorial district General November 6 George E. Snyder Democratic 15,970 67.2% D. Keller Ridenour Republican 7,779 32.8%
1966 Senator, 1st senatorial district Primary September 13 George E. Snyder Democratic 4,098 68% Richard J. Chaney Democratic 1,926 32%
1966 Senator, 1st senatorial district General November 8 George E. Snyder Democratic 9,747 59.7% Kenneth R. Daniels Republican 6,590 40.3%
1970 Senator, 1st senatorial district Primary September 15 George E. Snyder Democratic N/A N/A Unopposed
1970 Senator, 1st Senatorial district General November 3 George E. Snyder Democratic 10,709 63% Catherine L. Beachley Republican 6,289 37%

Committee assignments and leadership roles

  • Member of Maryland State Senate, 1959–1974
  • Chair, Aviation, Roads, and Transportation Committee, 1963–1966
  • Correctional Administration Committee, 1965–1968
  • Taxation and Fiscal Matters Committee, 1965–1968
  • Special Joint Committee on Prisons, 1967
  • Chairman, Finance Committee, 1971–1974
  • Member, Legislative Council, 1971–1974
  • Senate Majority Leader, 1971–1974

Candidacy for Governor of Maryland

A 1974 Maryland gubernatorial campaign bumper sticker for the short-lived Snyder–Pressman ticket

After years of deep conflict with then-sitting Governor Marvin Mandel, Snyder publicly announced that he would challenge Mandel in the Democratic primary for the Office of Governor. Hyman A. Pressman, the Comptroller of Baltimore, filed as his running mate seeking the party's nomination for the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland.[6] Pressman previously ran as an independent candidate in the 1966 Maryland gubernatorial election. After several weeks it became clear that the demographic challenges of running for state-wide office from the relatively less densely populated western part of the state would hamper the campaign. On July 18, 1974, Snyder ended the campaign.

Balanced Budget Amendment and the National Taxpayers Union

Snyder lobbied and testified before more than 40 state legislatures in a campaign to get the states to force a constitutional convention to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment.[7] By 1979, the effort to push the states to support an amendment had made serious progress with 29 of the 34 states required for a constitutional convention. Working at the federal level proved challenging, but several successes were achieved in the early 1980s. On May 19, 1981, the Senate Judiciary Committee, for the first time, approved the proposed constitutional amendment by a vote of 11–1. At the time, Snyder declared: ”This is really a great day for the American taxpayers. The fiscal affairs of our country are about to be afforded the same safeguards as our Constitution freedoms ... and may be as crucial to protecting those rights.”[8]

An opposition effort, particularly at the state-level, was led by then-Massachusetts Lt. Governor Thomas P. O'Neill III and a number of organizations including the AFL–CIO and Common Cause, led by Fred Wertheimer.[9]

After the departure of Grover Norquist from the leadership of the National Taxpayers Union in 1982, Snyder was appointed executive director of the organization.

1982 United States Senate campaign

After moving to Sarasota, Florida, in the late 1970s, Snyder broadened his career as a business consultant and made the decision to become a Republican. Leaning on his prior experience in elected office, he filed to run for the United States Senate in the 1982 election against the incumbent Senator Lawton Chiles. He was defeated in a three-way Republican primary carrying 27 percent of votes cast.[10]

Business and innovation

As a serial entrepreneur, Snyder was involved in founding, co-founding, or acquiring numerous businesses throughout his life. He was the holder of several patents on processes and devices. Snyder owned a soft pretzel company, Dutchie, Inc. of Smithsburg, Maryland, where he pioneered frozen foods processes and methods of distribution. For example, Snyder developed and patented a then-novel design for a compact oven intended for use by commercial clients in the shopping, amusements, entertainment, and sport sectors.[11]

Bibliography

  • Don't Be a Spin Sucker: What You Need to Know to Restore the Republic Our Founding Fathers Envisioned, Writers Club Press, October 2000, ISBN 0-595-14529-9.
  • Beyond the Game Plan, Hub Publishers, 1974, ISBN B0006CDS2Y.
  • PQ Trumps IQ, Xlibris, April 2010, ISBN 1-4500-8453-2.

References

  1. 1 2 Baker, Tamela (April 7, 2017). "Former Md. Sen. George Snyder dies at 88". The Herald-Mail. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  2. 1 2 Maryland State Senate Archives
  3. Baker, Tamela (April 7, 2017). "Former Md. Sen. George Snyder dies at 88". Herald-Mail Media. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  4. "Snyder finally OK's Humphrey". The Daily Mail. Hagerstown, Maryland. August 29, 1968.
  5. Washington County Board of Elections (1958-05-20). Maryland Senate Certifications: 1958 To 1970.
  6. Woodruff, John (May 10, 1974). "Snyder surprises nobody, enters Democratic race for Governor". The Baltimore Sun.
  7. Clymer, Adam (March 6, 1981). "Constitutional amendment drive on balanced budget pushed anew". The New York Times.
  8. Rogers, Ed (May 19, 1981). "The Senate Judiciary Committee today approved a proposed constitutional amendment". United Press International. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  9. "Working Against a Balanced Budget Convention," Richard E. Cohen. The National Journal. April 21, 1979.
  10. Eidge, Frank (September 8, 1982). "The national Republican Party prepared to pour more than..." United Press International. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  11. US 3640207, issued 1972-02-08
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