George Howard Earle Jr. (July 6, 1856 – February 19, 1928) was an American lawyer and businessman from Philadelphia who worked as a receiver and rescued multiple businesses from financial hardship.

Some of the reasons for the ineffectiveness was the division between reformers over the question of partisanship, poor organization, dislike of political activism, an autocratic manner and being geographically isolated from the city.

"[9] Despite the committee's failure to bring about a lasting, broad-scale influence in the city, Earle would continue to speak up for good government practices, and for the protection of political liberty for all Americans.

On October 3, 1896, at a Republican meeting in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, Earle urged his "fellow citizens" to vote for McKinley over Bryan, stating: ...a false prophet has come among you... who, in a country where all are in the highest class—that of the American citizens—tries to divide us into many, and then set those classes against each other; who tries to set State against State, section against section, and so nullify the great work for which Abraham Lincoln gave his life; who tries to lead us into paths of dishonor and asks us to disgrace the country for which we would give our lives...[10]It would not be the last time Earle would warn about the threat of populism.

But with its leader caring more for popularity than principle, courageous, as he is uninformed, I, myself, am convinced that it will have to go out of power in order that it may return chastened and more trusted than ever...

It is surprising at this time to find how many "old things" are true when the greater part of the world is engaged in discrediting and despising them.After the Panic of 1907, Earle would speak out against a central bank—despite the "present evils," stating, "I can suggest no remedy, but would prefer present evils to those resulting from the creation of too centralized a power; and the answer, to my mind, is obvious.

When told that Mr. Rockefeller, on his estate at Pocantico Hills, had gone in for high iron fences everywhere, he shook his head gravely and said: "That is the sort of thing we shall have to do away with some day."

He declares his belief in the doctrine of Malthus, and says that before long we shall have to reconstruct our ideas of tillage, care for our soil, and stop our extravagance, and that a lot of people will have to go to work.Never before having sought political office for himself, Mr. Earle was eventually sought after and subsequently backed by U. S. Senator Boies Penrose to be the Republican candidate in the election for mayor of Philadelphia in 1911.

"[14] Earle would subsequently be asked by the chairman of the committee, Moses E. Clapp, to draft a "tentative bill embodying [his] views as to additional legislation.

An article written in the February 3, 1912, issue of Telephony[18] (Chicago) states: [Earle] told the committee, the Sherman anti-trust law is not only practically a perfect piece of legislation, but it is also in complete harmony with the attitude of all peoples and all governments in the past toward this question.

Named after Mr. Earle, the theater would showcase the 'World's Biggest Stars' to Philadelphia audiences until its final stage show on February 26, 1953.

The article also reports that Democratic city chairman John B. Kelly—"former bricklayer who had become a wealthy contractor"[26]—said it was only "through a misunderstanding" that Mrs. Earle registered Republican—although in light of her husband's history with and dedication to the "Party of Lincoln," Mr. Kelly's statement may have been made solely for political purposes.