Sproule, George F., 1867-1928

George Sproule was born in Ireland in September 1867. On December 4, 1884, he entered the office of the Board of Port Wardens of Philadelphia, “the local administrative authority of the Port of Philadelphia [from] 1766 until 1907,” (Sproule, page 3). On July 23, 1888, he was elected secretary, and “his promotion at that time [was due] wholly to the fact of his knowledge of the port and of shipping matters generally,” (Document in collection). He served in that capacity until the Board of Port Wardens was abolished in 1907 and their duties were divided between the municipal Department of Wharves, Docks and Ferries and the State Board of Commissioners of Navigation for the Delaware River and its Navigable Tributaries. Sproule was elected Secretary of the Board of Commissioners of Navigation. According to The Port of Philadelphia: Its Facilities and Advantages, the Board of Commissioner of Navigation was responsible for “all wharf property on the Delaware River and its navigable tributaries in both Delaware and Bucks Counties; … regulations governing the stationing and anchoring of ships and vessels within the entire limits of the Port of Philadelphia, … all the functions exercised by the Harbor Master under the old law; [and] licens[ing] and regulat[ing] the Pennsylvania state pilots,” (Sproule, pages 3-4).

In 1920, J. Hampton Moore became Mayor of Philadelphia and he appointed Sproule to serve as Director of Wharves, Docks and Ferries, a position which included jurisdiction of the piers in Philadelphia. In addition, the Director “ha[d] authority to condemn and improve wharf property and [was] vested with other powers which … served to greatly stimulate the up-building of a modern port,” (Sproule, page 3). A municipal dredging plant and ice boats were responsibilities of the Director. Finally, Sproule, as Director, became the ex-officio President of the Commissioners of Navigation. An obituary found in “Commerce and Industry” states that, “in [Sproule’s] eight years in office, there was witnessed a greater development of the commercial facilities of the port of Philadelphia than has been witnessed in all the previous maritime activity of the history.” He was also responsible for helping to organize the Port of Philadelphia Ocean Traffic Bureau and for initiating modern pier construction.

He married Nora Louise Gerrish of Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1896 and they were the parents of two sons: S. Jackson Sproule and C. Gerrish Sproule. He died on July 2, 1928 of a heart attack at the age of 60.

He was remembered as “an authority on all questions affecting the use of wharves [with] his intimate knowledge of shipping [making] him a most valuable asset to the shipping community,” and the “best grounded man in Philadelphia on all matters concerning the port of Philadelphia,” (document from collection).

His son, Samuel Jackson Sproule, “Jack” was born on January 18, 1905. He was educated at the Episcopal Academy, in Overbrook, Pennsylvania. Following in his father’s footsteps, he worked on the water almost entirely until 1946. He worked with freight, traffic issues, and steamship organizations. For brief periods of time, he worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad and for his brother’s company, C.G. Sproule, Inc. as an automobile broker and insurance salesman.

In 1942, Sproule enlisted in the Navy and served as Port Representative for the United States Shipping Administration, Recruitment and Manning Organization. He served in this capacity until 1945, when he was made Director of the Manning Division of the United States Shipping Administration. In 1946, with the end of World War II, the organization was abolished due to budget limitations.

Sproule also belonged to the Maritime Society of the Port of Philadelphia Traffic and Transportation Club.

Bibliography:

Sproule, George F., ed. The Port of Philadelphia: Its Facilities and Advantages . Harrisburg: William Stanley Ray, State Printer, 1914.

From the guide to the George Sproule papers, Bulk, 1884-1944, 1784-1947, (Independence Seaport Museum, J. Welles Henderson Archives and Library)