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 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 immigran ...

political dynasty.

Early life

Henry Augustus Philip Muhlenberg was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on May 13, 1782. Henry was the son of Mary Catherine ( née Hall) Muhlenberg and Gotthilf Henry Ernest Muhlenberg, a prominent clergyman and botanist. His paternal grandfather was

Henry Muhlenberg Henry Melchior Muhlenberg (an anglicanization of Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg) (September 6, 1711 – October 7, 1787), was a German Lutheran pastor sent to North America as a missionary, requested by Pennsylvania colonists. Integral to the ...

, a German born

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

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 Conrad Weiser (November 2, 1696 – July 13, 1760), born Johann Conrad Weiser, Jr., was a Pennsylvania Dutch (German) pioneer who served as an interpreter and diplomat between the Pennsylvania Colony and Native American nations. Primarily a f ...

. Among Henry's uncles were Revolutionary War leaders,

Frederick 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 ...

, later the 1st

Speaker of the U.S. 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 ...

, and

Peter 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 ...

, who served as the 8th Vice-President of Pennsylvania under

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

before his election as a U.S. Representative and

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from Pennsylvania.

Career

Henry studied theology and was ordained a

minister in 1802. He served as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Reading, Pennsylvania from April 1803 to June 1829. He was elected a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society i ...

in 1814.American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
/ref>

Political career

In 1828, Muhlenberg 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 ...

to serve in the 21st United States Congress as a

Jacksonian Democrat Jacksonian democracy was a 19th-century political philosophy in the United States that expanded suffrage to most white men over the age of 21, and restructured a number of federal institutions. Originating with the seventh U.S. president, An ...

. He was reelected, as a Jacksonian, to the 22nd through

24th United States Congress The 24th 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, 1835 ...

es. On December 9, 1834, he wrote to

John M. Read John Meredith Read Sr. (July 21, 1797 – November 29, 1874) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was one of the founders of the Republican Party and chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. ...

, later the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, about James Buchanan's election to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, 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." Muhlenberg was again reelected to the

25th Congress The 25th 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, 183 ...

, this time as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, 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 The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...

on February 8, 1838. He presented his credentials in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

on November 7, 1838, and served until September 18, 1840 when he left his post and was succeeded by

Daniel Jenifer Daniel Jenifer (April 15, 1791 – December 18, 1855) was an American lawyer and statesman from Charles County, Maryland. He was also the nephew of Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer. He graduated from Charlotte Hall Military Academy. He represented ...

. He ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Pennsylvania twice in

1835 Events January–March * January 7 – anchors off the Chonos Archipelago on her second voyage, with Charles Darwin on board as naturalist. * January 8 – The United States public debt contracts to zero, for the only time in history. ...

and 1838. He was nominated by the Democratic Party a third time in 1844, but died before the election took place.

Personal life

Muhlenberg 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: * Mary Elizabeth Muhlenberg (1806–1838), who married the Rev. Ehrgott Jonathan Deininger (1801–1881). After her death, he remarried to Rebecca Hiester (1781–1841) on June 7, 1808. Rebecca was the daughter of Elizabeth (née Witman) Hiester and

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 ...

, the 5th governor of Pennsylvania. Together, they were the parents of: * Emma Elizabeth Muhlenberg, who died in infancy. * 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. * Rosa Catharine Muhlenberg (1821–1867), who married Gustavus Anthony Nicolls (1817–1886). *

Henry Augustus Muhlenberg Henry Augustus Muhlenberg (July 21, 1823 – January 9, 1854) was an American politician and Congressman ( Democratic) representing the state of Pennsylvania. Early years Muhlenberg was a member of the Muhlenberg family political dynasty. He w ...

(1823–1854), who was elected to Congress and married his cousin, Ann Hall Muhlenberg. Muhlenberg died in Reading, Pennsylvania on August 11, 1844 and is interred at the

Charles Evans Cemetery Charles Evans Cemetery is an historic, nonsectarian, garden-style cemetery located in the city of Reading, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Charles Evans (1768-1847), a son of Quaker parents and native of Philadelphia who became a prominent attorn ...

Descendants

Through his son Henry, he was the grandfather of Henry Augustus Muhlenberg III, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1892.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Muhlenberg, Henry Augustus Philip 1782 births 1844 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to Austria American Lutherans American people of German descent Burials at Charles Evans Cemetery Muhlenberg family Politicians from Lancaster, Pennsylvania 19th-century American diplomats Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Members of the American Antiquarian Society 19th-century American politicians