Henry Augustus Philip Muhlenberg (May 13, 1782 – August 11, 1844) was an American political leader and diplomat. He was a member of the Muhlenberg family political dynasty.
Henry A. P. Muhlenberg | |
|---|---|
 | |
| U.S. Minister to the Austrian Empire | |
| In office February 8, 1838 – September 18, 1840 | |
| President | Martin Van Buren |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Jenifer |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 9th district | |
| In office 1833–1838 | |
| Preceded by | James Ford Philander Stephens Lewis Dewart |
| Succeeded by | George M. Keim |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 7th district | |
| In office 1829–1833 | |
| Preceded by | William Addams Joseph Fry, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | David D. Wagener |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Henry Augustus Philip Muhlenberg May 13, 1782 Lancaster, Pennsylvania, British America |
| Died | August 11, 1844 (aged 62) Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | Charles Evans Cemetery |
| Political party | Jacksonian Democrat Democrat |
| Relations | Frederick Muhlenberg (uncle) Peter Muhlenberg (uncle) |
| Children | Henry Augustus Muhlenberg |
| Parent(s) | Gotthilf Henry Ernest Muhlenberg Mary Catherine Hall Muhlenberg |
| Occupation |
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Early life
editHenry Augustus Philip Muhlenberg was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on May 13, 1782.[1] Henry was the son of Mary Catherine (née Hall) Muhlenberg and Gotthilf Henry Ernest Muhlenberg, a prominent clergyman and botanist.[2]
His paternal grandfather was Henry Muhlenberg, a German born Lutheran pastor who was sent to North America as a missionary. His paternal grandmother, Anna Maria (née Weiser) Muhlenberg was the daughter of Colonial leader, Conrad Weiser.[3] Among Henry's uncles were Revolutionary War leaders, Frederick Muhlenberg, later the 1st Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Peter Muhlenberg, who served as the 8th Vice-President of Pennsylvania under Benjamin Franklin before his election as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania.[4]
Career
editMuhlenberg studied theology and was ordained a Lutheran minister in 1802. He served as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Reading, Pennsylvania, from April 1803 to June 1829.[4]
He was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1814.[5]
Political career
editIn 1828, Muhlenberg was elected to the United States House of Representatives to serve in the 21st United States Congress as a Jacksonian Democrat.[6] He was reelected, as a Jacksonian, to the 22nd through 24th United States Congresses. On December 9, 1834, he wrote to John M. Read, later the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, about James Buchanan's election to the United States Senate, stating: "I rejoice in the election of our friend Buchanan" and that "he will be an honor to the State and of much service to our friends."[7]
Muhlenberg was again reelected to the 25th Congress, this time as a Democrat, and served from March 4, 1829, until his resignation on February 9, 1838, when he was appointed the first United States Minister to the Austrian Empire on February 8, 1838.[8] He presented his credentials in Vienna on November 7, 1838, and served until September 18, 1840, when he left his post and was succeeded by Daniel Jenifer.[9]
He ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Pennsylvania twice in 1835 and 1838. He was nominated by the Democratic Party a third time in 1844, but died before the election took place.[4]
Personal life
editMuhlenberg was twice married. His first marriage was in 1805 to Mary Elizabeth Muhlenberg (1784–1806). Mary died on March 21, 1806, giving birth to a daughter:[3]
- Mary Elizabeth Muhlenberg (1806–1838), who married the Rev. Ehrgott Jonathan Deininger (1801–1881).[3]
After her death, he remarried to Rebecca Hiester (1781–1841) on June 7, 1808.[3] Rebecca was the daughter of Elizabeth (née Witman) Hiester and Joseph Hiester, the 5th governor of Pennsylvania.[2] Together, they were the parents of:[3]
- Emma Elizabeth Muhlenberg, who died in infancy.[3]
- Hiester Henry Muhlenberg (1812–1886), who married Amelia Howard (1817–1852). After her death, he married Katharine Spang Hunter (1835–1913).
- Emma Elizabeth Muhlenberg (1817–1833), who died unmarried.[3]
- Rosa Catharine Muhlenberg (1821–1867), who married Gustavus Anthony Nicolls (1817–1886).[3]
- Henry Augustus Muhlenberg (1823–1854), who was elected to Congress and married his cousin, Ann Hall Muhlenberg.[3]
Muhlenberg died in Reading, Pennsylvania, on August 11, 1844, and is interred at the Charles Evans Cemetery.[4]
Descendants
editThrough his son Henry, he was the grandfather of Henry Augustus Muhlenberg III, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1892.[3]
References
edit- ^ Biographical Memoir of the Late Henry A. Muhlenberg. J.& H.G. Langley, etc. January 1845. p. 73. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ a b The Pennsylvania German Society Proceedings and Addresses at Reading, Oct. 27, 1905, Vol. XVI. Pennsylvania German Society. 1907. p. 16. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Association, John Conrad Weiser Family (1960). The Weiser Family: A Genealogy of the family of John Conrad Weiser, the elder (d. 1746); prepared on the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of his arrival in America, 1710-1760. John Conrad Weiser Family Assoc. p. 214. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ a b c d "MUHLENBERG, Henry Augustus Philip - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
- ^ Cheathem, Mark R. (2007). Old Hickory's Nephew: The Political and Private Struggles of Andrew Jackson Donelson. LSU Press. p. 166. ISBN 9780807135655. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ "Letter from Henry A. P. Muhlenberg to John M. Read". archives.dickinson.edu. Dickinson College. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ Louden, Mark L. (2016). Pennsylvania Dutch: The Story of an American Language. JHU Press. p. 238. ISBN 9781421418285. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ "Henry Augustus Philip Muhlenberg - People - Department History - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs United States Department of State. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
External links
edit- United States Congress. "Henry A. P. Muhlenberg (id: M001065)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.
- Henry A. P. Muhlenberg at Find a Grave