View source for Biography:George Snyder (politician)

{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = Senator
| name             = George E. Snyder
| honorific-suffix = 
| image            = George E Snyder.jpg
| caption          = 
| image_size       = 
| alt              = 
| state_senate     = Maryland
| district         = 1st Senatorial
| prior_term       = 
| term_start       = 1959
| term_end         = 1974
| predecessor      = Charles L. Downey (R)
| successor        = John P. Corderman (D)
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1929|1|12|mf=y}}
| birth_place      = Hagerstown, Maryland
| death_date       = {{death date and age |2017|4|5 |1929|1|12 |mf=yes}}
| death_place      = Boone, North Carolina
| party            = Democrat
| spouse           = Karen E. Snyder
| partner          = 
| relations        = 
| children         = 6
| residence        = 
| alma_mater       = B.A., Public Administration, [[Organization:University of Maryland, College Park|University of Maryland]]<br>attended the University of Maryland School of Law
| occupation       = Politician, businessman, author, and inventor
| profession       = 
| signature        = Signature_of_George_E._Snyder.svg
| signature_alt    = 
| website          = 
| footnotes        = 
}}

'''George Elmer Snyder''' (January 12, 1929 – April 5, 2017<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/local/former-md-sen-george-snyder-dies-at/article_65065aeb-1a24-5d12-bae5-6baed4b890e5.html|title=Former Md. Sen. George Snyder dies at 88|last=Baker|first=Tamela|date=April 7, 2017|work=The Herald-Mail|access-date=April 11, 2017}}</ref>) 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 [[Organization:University of Maryland, College Park|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.<ref name="MSA">[http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/speccol/sc5100/sc5123/000002/html/snyder.html Maryland State Senate Archives]</ref> He served in elected office as a Democrat,<ref name="MSA" /> although he ran as a Republican in the 1982 Florida Senate Race for the seat occupied by Lawton Chiles.<ref name=":0" /> 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.

==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 {{wipe|Chicago}} where he eventually voted to nominate Hubert Humphrey to become the democratic nominee for President of the United States.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Snyder finally OK’s Humphrey|work=The Daily Mail|location=Hagerstown, Maryland|date=August 29, 1968}}</ref>

==== Election results<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/MD_Senate_1a_Certification_Material_58-70|title=Maryland Senate Certifications: 1958 To 1970|last=Washington County Board of Elections|date=1958-05-20}}</ref> ====

{| class="wikitable"
! style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold; font-size:16px;" | Year
! style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold; font-size:16px;" | Office
! style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold; font-size:16px;" | Election
! style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold; font-size:16px;" | Date
! style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold; font-size:16px;" | Subject            
! style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold; font-size:16px;" | Party
! style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold; font-size:16px;" | Votes
! style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold; font-size:16px;" | %
! style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold; font-size:16px; background-color:#c0c0c0;" | 
! style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold; font-size:16px;" | Opponent
! style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold; font-size:16px;" | Party
! style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold; font-size:16px;" | Votes
! style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold; font-size:16px;" | %
|-
| 1958
| Senator, 1st Senatorial District
| Primary
| May 20
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |George E. Snyder
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |3,921
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |53.4%
| style="background-color:#c0c0c0;" | 
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |Myron L. Bloom
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |3,423
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |46.6%
|-
| 1958
| Senator, 1st Senatorial District
| General
| November 4
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |George E. Snyder
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |14,199
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |54.7%
| style="background-color:#c0c0c0;" | 
| {{party shading/Republican}} |Omer T. Kaylor, Jr.
| {{party shading/Republican}} |Republican
| {{party shading/Republican}} |11,763
| {{party shading/Republican}} |45.3%
|-
| 1962
| Senator, 1st Senatorial District
| Primary
| May 15
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |George E. Snyder
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |6,336
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |79.7%
| style="background-color:#c0c0c0;" | 
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |J. Joseph Allen
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |1,610
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |20.3%
|-
| 1962
| Senator, 1st Senatorial District
| General
| November 6
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |George E. Snyder
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |15,970
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |67.2%
| style="background-color:#c0c0c0;" | 
| {{party shading/Republican}} |D. Keller Ridenour
| {{party shading/Republican}} |Republican
| {{party shading/Republican}} |7,779
| {{party shading/Republican}} |32.8%
|-
| 1966
| Senator, 1st Senatorial District
| Primary
| September 13
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |George E. Snyder
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |4,098
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |68%
| style="background-color:#c0c0c0;" | 
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |Richard J. Chaney
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |1,926
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |32%
|-
| 1966
| Senator, 1st Senatorial District
| General
| November 8
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |George E. Snyder
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |9,747
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |59.7%
| style="background-color:#c0c0c0;" | 
| {{party shading/Republican}} |Kenneth R. Daniels
| {{party shading/Republican}} |Republican
| {{party shading/Republican}} |6,590
| {{party shading/Republican}} |40.3%
|-
| 1970
| Senator, 1st Senatorial District
| Primary
| September 15
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |George E. Snyder
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |N/A
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |N/A
| style="background-color:#c0c0c0;" | 
| Unopposed
| 
| 
| 
|-
| 1970
| Senator, 1st Senatorial District
| General
| November 3
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |George E. Snyder
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |10,709
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |63%
| style="background-color:#c0c0c0;" | 
| {{party shading/Republican}} |Catherine L. Beachley
| {{party shading/Republican}} |Republican
| {{party shading/Republican}} |6,289
| {{party shading/Republican}} |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===
[[File:1974 Snyder-Pressman Gubernatorial Campaign Bumper Sticker.svg|thumb|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://baltimoresun.newspapers.com/image/377334268/?terms=Snyder%2Benter%2Brace%2Bgovernor |title=Snyder surprises nobody, enters Democratic race for Governor |last=Woodruff |first=John |date=May 10, 1974 |work=The Baltimore Sun}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/06/us/constitutional-amendment-drive-on-balanced-budget-pushed-anew.html |title=Constitutional amendment drive on balanced budget pushed anew |last=Clymer |first=Adam |date=March 6, 1981 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> 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.”''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A453863789/STND?u=fairfax_main&sid=STND&xid=47be6660 |title=The Senate Judiciary Committee today approved a proposed constitutional amendment |last=Rogers |first=Ed |date=May 19, 1981 |work=United Press International |access-date=September 1, 2019}}</ref>

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.<ref>"Working Against a Balanced Budget Convention," Richard E. Cohen. The National Journal. April 21, 1979.</ref>

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 State 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A451068582/STND?u=fairfax_main&sid=STND&xid=a51b0caf |title=The national Republican Party prepared to pour more than... |last=Eidge |first=Frank | date=September 8, 1982 |work=United Press International |access-date=September 1, 2019}}</ref>

In 2006, Snyder moved to Blowing Rock, North Carolina. He died at the Glenbridge Health and Rehabilitation Center in Boone, North Carolina.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/local/former-md-sen-george-snyder-dies-at/article_65065aeb-1a24-5d12-bae5-6baed4b890e5.html |title=Former Md. Sen. George Snyder dies at 88 |last=Baker |first=Tamela |date=April 7, 2017 |work=Herald-Mail Media |access-date=April 9, 2017}}</ref>

== 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 ==
{{Reflist}}

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[[Category:Inventors]]

{{Sourceattribution|George Snyder (politician)|1}}