Ralph T. Githens
Ralph T. Githens was born in New York in 1894, the son of Horace Llewellyn Githens and his wife, the former Anna May Parsons. The family eventually came to Camden, and when the census was taken in 1910 resided at 610 State Street. In 1913 he married the girl next door, Helen B. Stow. The marriage produced four daughters, Evelyn, Ruth, Marian, and Ruth Helen Githens. The family made their home at 612 State Street in North Camden, which was the home of Mrs. Githens’ father, Alfred Stow. When the census was taken in 1930, Ralph T. Githens was working as a bookkeeper.
Active in Republican politics, he served on the Camden County Board of Freeholders from Camden’s 10th Ward in the late 1920s, before falling out of favor with 10th Ward Committeeman Samuel J. Edwards. In these years he made his home at 612 State Street. He returned to the Board of Freeholders, and was serving on that body when the 1947 Camden City Directory was compiled.
Ralph T. Githens was still living at 612 State Street as late as the fall of 1956. He passed away in Camden on December 21, 1958 survived by his wife and at least two of his daughters.
Sour Note Sounds in Musical Tenth
Camden Courier-Post —
Edwards, Githens in Discord Over Freeholder Nomination
The “Musical Tenth” ward is off on the 1928 primary operetta with a couple of sour notes.
Freeholder Ralph T. Githens, in announcing his candidacy for re-election, declared he had the endorsement of Samuel Edwards, Republican county committeeman.
County Committeeman Edwards when he heard of the Githens announcement, said he had not endorsed Githens, but had decided to become a candidate for freeholder himself.
“I’m afraid my friend Githens is playing a lone hand,” said Edwards today. “It’s because of his inactivity. If a fellow has a job and lays down on it, that’s his own hard luck. If he’s going to fight, I think we’ll walk away with him. We’ve got the organization, and he’s out in the cold.”
Githens’ term as freeholder expires January 1, 1929. He insisted again today that Edwards had endorsed him.
“I don’t care what anyone else might say,” Githens said. “Edwards gave me his word that he would support me. He pledged that about a month ago, and that’s that.”
Githens made this statement despite an announcement Thursday that Edward would be indorsed by the Tenth ward club as the district’s candidate for Freeholder.
Letter to the Editor
Camden Courier-Post —
To the Editor of The Evening Courier:
Sir:—I notice in your issue of February 25, under the caption “Sour Notes Sound in Musical Tenth,” that Samuel Edwards states that he does not endorse me for Freeholder in the tenth ward.
I wish to publicly state that I am glad that I do not have the endorsement of a person who would be so mean and contemptible as to be personally responsible for having a committeewoman removed from her position in the Register of Deeds office, being a candidate against his candidate whom she easily defeated.
Neither would I want the support of a person who is now going to men with families who hold city positions, whipping them into line with the threat that they will lose their jobs if they don’t support him.
He speaks of me playing a lone hand. I would much rather play a lone hand and be able to look people straight in the eyes than to think that I had been instrumental in causing some people to lose their jobs and others to lose their independence and the right to think for themselves.
He complains of my inactivity and I can’t interpret that to mean anything else than that I do not run to his house every night to report the happenings of the day or to be his errand boy, for I am quite sure he knows of my public activities. If he doesn’t he should ask any girl or boy who Ralph Githens is.
He knows that I have served the public for five years before I became Freeholder, for which I received no remuneration, and I have the distinction of being the first one in the City of Camden to lead regular outdoor Community sings.
He complains of me laying down on the job and he must mean by that, that I wouldn’t carry out all his orders and that I wanted to show a little independence as every true American citizen wants to do.
As far as attending the meetings is concerned, if he will look at the records he will find that I have missed comparatively few, which were during the summer vacation and when my father died.
Speaking of being out in the cold I might say that he was never so close to being there himself as he was two years ago, when a man of character and standing in the ward, Mr. Benjamin Covington by name, ran for county committeeman against Edwards and was only defeated by eight votes, and that is not much to brag about for any elected candidate.
If in my term of office he can say nothing against me but that I wouldn’t do his bidding and that I had a mind of my own I am sure that while I have lost his endorsement I shall gain the endorsement of hundreds of free born, liberty loving, independent taxpayers of the Musical Tenth.
My good friends have adopted this slogan:
He leads us during the summer in song,
Why not let him lead us all year long?
Freeholder Ralph T. Githens
612 State St.