Francis Swaine Muhlenberg (April 22, 1795December 17, 1831) was a political leader, member of 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, and a member of the

Muhlenberg Family The Muhlenberg family created a United States political, religious, and military dynasty based in the state of Pennsylvania. The German American family descends from Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg/Henry Muhlenberg (1711–1787), a German immigrant, ...

political dynasty. Francis Swaine Muhlenberg was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. His father,

John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (October 1, 1746October 1, 1807) was an American clergyman, Continental Army soldier during the American Revolutionary War, and political figure in the newly independent United States. A Lutheran minister, he serve ...

, was a Revolutionary War hero and member of Congress. His uncle,

Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg (; January 1, 1750 – June 4, 1801) was an American minister and politician who was the first Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and the first Dean of the United States House of Represen ...

, was the first

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section 2 of the U. ...

. Muhlenberg attended

Dickinson College , mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning , established = , type = Private liberal arts college , endowment = $645.5 million (2022) , president = J ...

Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 United States census, ...

, studied law, and was admitted at the Pennsylvania bar in 1816. From 1820 to 1823, he served as private secretary to

Pennsylvania Governor The governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the head of state and head of government of the U.S. state, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as commander-in-chief of the Commonwealth's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforc ...

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-Republic ...

. He moved west to

Pickaway County, Ohio Pickaway County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,539. Its county seat is Circleville. Its name derives from the Pekowi band of Shawnee Indians, who inhabited the area. (See List of Ohio county ...

, and was elected to the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

in 1827. In 1828, he was elected the U.S. House of Representatives to fill the congressional seat vacated by the resignation of

William Creighton, Jr. William Creighton Jr. (October 29, 1778 – October 1, 1851) was the 1st Secretary of State of Ohio, a United States representative from Ohio and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Ohio. Educat ...

in the

Twentieth United States Congress The 20th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1827, ...

. He served until March 3, 1829. After his congressional career, Muhlenberg worked as a businessman and land speculator in Ohio and

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. Francis Swaine Muhlenberg died in Pickaway County on December 17, 1831.

Muhlenberg Township, Pickaway County, Ohio Muhlenberg Township is one of the fifteen townships of Pickaway County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 905 people in the township, 612 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township. Geography Located in the northwester ...

, was named after him.

References

The Political Graveyard
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Muhlenberg, Francis Swaine 1795 births 1831 deaths Members of the Ohio House of Representatives Muhlenberg family People from Pickaway County, Ohio Dickinson College alumni 19th-century American politicians National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio