William Bettle (50)

William Bettle (10 March 1734–c. 20 March 1773) was a tanner and a member of the Young Junto, elected in 1766. Born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Bettle was the son of a prosperous Quaker tanner who moved his family to Philadelphia in 1749. By 1761, the younger Bettle was operating a tanyard of his own in the city’s Northern Liberties. As the population of that area increased, Bettle joined APS members Moses and Isaac Bartram in petitioning the Pennsylvania Assembly to appoint municipal officers and regulate its public works. Bettle was also a contributor to the Silk Society, a donor to the Pennsylvania Hospital, and a director of the Library Company. At the meetings of the Young Junto, he submitted queries for discussion concerning the moral effects of the theater and the relative merits of civil society and the state of nature. (PI)