Hon. A. L. Reichenbach    

HON. A. L. REICHENBACH, present mayor of Allentown, was born in this city, December 17, 1860. He attended the public schools, but at an early age became the gardener and protege of the late Hon. Edward Harvey, who bad a splendid library. Having unusual mental gifts, it was here, under the tutelage of his preceptor, that Mr. Reichenbach acquired what may be called a liberal education. On reaching manhood he entered the employ of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, rising rapidly in the freight department. Meanwhile he had become a member of the Liberty Fire Co., No. 5, and laid the foundation of his remarkable public career. By and through his untiring energy and whole-hearted interest he has done more than any other man to bring the Allentown Fire Department up to its present state of efficiency.

For more than sixteen years he had been treasurer of the State Firemen’s Association. Under his skill as a financier he increased the reserve fund of the association from $1,000 to $23,000, and more than $20,000 was paid out in death benefits.

However, Mr. Reichenbach gained his greatest distinction as a public man during his twenty-four years’ continuous service as city treasurer of Allentown, to which office he was elected after having made a remarkable record in councils both on the floor and as chairman of the select branch. During the many years that he held the office of city treasurer he developed a system which resulted in cleaning up the annual tax assessment without the loss of a dollar to the municipality. He never compelled the sale of real estate or personal property for taxes, and always assisted the taxpayer by renewed cautions in securing the discounts allowed him by law. Term after term he was elected treasurer by ever-increasing majorities.

In 1914 he was nominated for mayor upon a non-partisan ticket, receiving 70 per cent, of the entire vote cast. He is a man of dynamic energy, and rare executive ability, and his administration has been characterized by progress, Civic pride and efficiency.

Mr. Reichenbach’s public spirit has manifested itself in every phase of our municipal life, and every movement in which he has taken part was pushed to a successful issue. Together with Dr. C. D. Schaeffer he is responsible for the splendid $80,000 nurses’ home connected with the Allentown Hospital.

He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, of the Odd Fellows, and the various Masonic bodies, He served as potentate of Rajah Temple for many years and organized Jordan Lodge, F. and A. M., in 1913.

Men of Allentown, Allentown, Pa. by Fred L. Shankweiler, 1917, page 8.  More Lehigh County History Books   Search Hundreds of 1880s-1890s Pennsylvania County History Books for biographies and historical information on your ancestors.  View the book page images on line and print them out for your genealogy file!  Free Access to the old history books - plus birth & death records, census images and ALL other records at ancestry.com.