Col. Philip Marsteller (1741 – December 1803) was a Revolutionary War officer, businessman, and politician. A friend of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

, Marsteller served as mayor of

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

and as a pallbearer in Washington's funeral.

Early life

Philip Balthasar Marsteller was born in 1742 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 ...

, the son of German immigrants Frederick Ludwig Marsteller and his wife, Anna Barbara. When he was 21, he purchased land in Millcreek Township where he lived for several years. In 1773, he was a founding member of the Cedar Fire Company in

Lebanon, Pennsylvania Lebanon () is a city in and the county seat of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,814 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in the central part of the Lebanon Valley, east of Harrisburg and west of Reading. ...

. In 1766, he married Magdalena Reiss. In 1770, they had one son, Phillip Godhelps Marsteller.

American Revolutionary War

During the Revolutionary War, Marsteller was highly involved in the cause of securing American independence from

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

. In 1776, Marsteller attended the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention and assisted in recruitment of troops. During the war, he served as a lieutenant colonel in the 1st Battalion of the Lancaster County

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 ...

and held other war-time posts including paymaster, purchasing agent, and as a militia leader during the

Forage War The Forage War was a partisan campaign consisting of numerous small skirmishes that took place in New Jersey during the American Revolutionary War between January and March 1777, following the battles of Trenton and Princeton. After both Briti ...

Political career

After the Revolutionary War, Marsteller and his family moved to Alexandria, Virginia. He and his son opened an auction and merchant business, and included George Washington among their clients. He also rented Washington's Alexandria townhome and lived there in the 1790s. Marsteller was elected as Mayor of Alexandria, serving a term from 1791 to 1792.

Friendship with George Washington

Marsteller and George Washington were close friends and conducted business together for many years. Marsteller assisted Washington in acquiring services and goods for his Mount Vernon estate, including indentured servants and household supplies. After Washington's death in 1799, Marsteller served as one of the honorary pallbearers during his funeral.''Evening star.'' (Washington, D.C.), 23 April 1909. ''Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers''. Lib. of Congress. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1909-04-23/ed-1/seq-23/ He later purchased a set of pistols from Washington's estate, which are now on display at the

West Point Museum The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

Death and legacy

Marsteller died in December 1803 at his Alexandria home and was interred at Christ Church Cemetery in Alexandria.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marsteller, Philip 1741 births 1803 deaths Burials at Old Christ Church Episcopal Cemetery (Alexandria, Virginia) 18th-century American politicians Mayors of Alexandria, Virginia Military personnel from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Politicians from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Continental Army officers from Pennsylvania