Daniel Hiester (June 25, 1747 – March 7, 1804) was an American political and military leader from the Revolutionary War period to the early 19th Century. Born in

Berks County Berks County (Pennsylvania German: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading. The Schuylkill River, a tributary of the Delaware River, ...

in the Province of Pennsylvania, he was a member of the Hiester Family political dynasty. He was the brother of John Hiester and

Gabriel Hiester Gabriel Hiester (1749–1824) was an American political and military leader from the time of the American Revolution to the early-19th century, and was a member of the Hiester Family political dynasty. A brother of John Hiester and Daniel H ...

, cousin of

Joseph Hiester Joseph Hiester (November 18, 1752June 10, 1832) was an American politician, who served as the fifth governor of Pennsylvania from 1820 to 1823. He was a member of the Hiester family political dynasty, and was a member of the Democratic-Republ ...

, and the uncle of William Hiester and U.S. Rep. Daniel Hiester (1774–1834).

Biography

Hiester's father, also named Daniel Hiester, emigrated from

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

in 1737 and settled in Goshenhoppen (now Bally),

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, afterward purchasing a tract of several thousand acres in Berks County. After completing his education, the young Hiester engaged in the mercantile business in

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Montgomery County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the List of counties in Pennsylvania, third-most populous county in Pennsylvania and the List of the most populous cou ...

. He owned slaves as well. During the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, Hiester served as a colonel and later a brigadier general of the Pennsylvania

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

. He was a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly from 1778 to 1781. In 1784 he was elected to the supreme executive council of Pennsylvania, and later in 1787 he was appointed as a commissioner to negotiate the Connecticut land claims dispute. Hiester was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

representing

, serving from March 4, 1789, until his resignation on July 1, 1796. He then moved to Hagerstown, Maryland, and was again elected to the House representing

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, serving from March 4, 1801, until his death in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, on March 7, 1804. He was among the number that voted to move the U.S. capital from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

to a place on the Potomac later named

He was buried in Zion Reformed Graveyard in Hagerstown, Maryland and has a cenotaph at the

Congressional Cemetery The Congressional Cemetery, officially Washington Parish Burial Ground, is a historic and active cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the only American "cemetery of national m ...

in Washington.

Notes

References

*
The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hiester, Daniel 1747 births 1804 deaths People from Berks County, Pennsylvania People of colonial Pennsylvania Hiester family Pennsylvania Dutch people Anti-Administration Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives American slave owners 19th-century American politicians Pennsylvania militiamen in the American Revolution Burials in Maryland

Biography

See also

Notes

References