Transcribed by Karen Meisenheimer.
Wellsville Daily Reporter, February 13, 1913
DR. GEORGE H. WITTER IS DEAD
WELLSVILLE’S BEST KNOWN RESIDENT PASSES AWAY AFTER LONG AND PAINFUL ILLNESS- FUNERAL SATURDAY AFTERNOON, AT 3 O’CLOCK AT THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
Dr. George H. Witter died at his home in this village last evening at 11:25 o’clock after an illness of nearly six months. Since October last, on returning from a trip to Chicago, Dr. Witter has been confined to his room and most of the time to his bed. He has been gradually failing for several weeks, but a wonderful constitution and vitality has prolonged the struggle for life. In his death Wellsville loses probably its best known resident, for the Doctor has been prominent in public life during much of the thirty-five years he has resided in this town. He has many times been honored by his friends and acquaintances with office and directorate in business institutions and by the Republican party by posts of honor and responsibility in the part affairs, in both county, state and nation. Dr. Witter as a physician and surgeon, has made more friends than usually falls to the lot of one man in a lifetime. He was always ready to respond to the all of a patient, be he wealthy or needy, and no one made that call in vain when in need of a doctor’s services.
Dr. Witter leaves a wife, formerly Miss Maude Bingham, to whom he was married on July 20, 1889, and two daughters, Grace and Margaret. He is also survived by three sisters and a brother. Mrs. C.D. Mills, of Standards; Mrs. Sidney Crandall, of Andover; Mrs. Elizabeth Packard, of Oklahoma; and Lewis D. Witter of this city.
The funeral services will be held at the Congregational church Saturday afternoon at 3 o’clock, the Rev. Dr. Sutherland officiating. Interment will be at Woodlawn.
Dr. Witter’s Life Record.
George H. Witter was a son of Daniel P. and Betsey (Foster) Witter and was born in the town of Willing Aug. 23, 1854. He was educated in the public schools, was for one year at West Point and acquired his medical education in the office of Dr. H. H. Nye, and at the College of Physicians and surgeons in Baltimore, received his degree of M.D. in 1885. He immediately established himself at Wellsville in partnership with Dr. Nye, and later succeeded to the former’s practice. He has always been successful in his life’s work and was known widely in medical circles throughout the country. For many years he has been the company surgeon for both the Erie and the B. & S. Railroads, and was an active member of the Allegany County Medical Society, the State Medical Society, the National Medical Association, and the New England Society of Physicians and Surgeons.
Dr. Witter has been honored by many public offices. He served as Supervisor of the town of Wellsville five years, from 1892 to 1897, succeeding O. D. Browning; for more than twenty years he represented Wellsville on the Republican County Committee and for six years was the State Committeeman from this district. In 1908 Dr. Witter was nominated for State Senator in the Forty-fourth Senate District and served one term. 1909 and 1910 being succeeded by the present Senator T. H. Russey.
Dr. Witter has been for some twenty years a director of the First National Bank and for half that time as served as its Vice President. He has been a member of the Board of Education for nearly as many years and had long been a member and trustee of the Congregational church. The Doctor was a presidential elector on the Republican ticket when President McKinley became the nation’s chief.
