George Ege (March 9, 1748December 14, 1829) was a United States Congressman, elected to the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

from

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, ...

Biography

He was born in

Germantown Germantown or German Town may refer to: Places Australia * Germantown, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region United States * Germantown, California, the former name of Artois, a census-designated place in Glenn County * Ge ...

in the Province of Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, to Anna Catherine (Holz) and George-Michael Ege, who had immigrated from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in 1738. George's father participated in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

, subsequently had health problems, and died in 1759, when George was just 11 years old. After his father's death, George and his two brothers, Jacob Ege (b. 1745) and Michael Ege (b. 1753), were sent to live and study with their mother's wealthy brother-in-law, Henry William Stiegel, a noted glass-maker who had mansions in Manheim, PA and at Elizabeth Furnace, PA, as well as several other outside business interests, including an iron operation he called “Charming Forge” in the Womelsdorf area of

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, ...

, PA. Under "Baron" Stiegel's tutelage, George and his brothers learned about how to run iron operations. In 1774, George Ege succeeded the Baron as owner of Charming Forge and also built a mansion on the property, adjacent to the stream used by the iron mill; this mansion was also called "Charming Forge," and it is still occupied today. George prospered with the forge, added additional forges and properties, and became one of the wealthiest citizens of Berks County. He owned slaves as well. In 1783, he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He was appointed one of the first associate judges of Berks County under the

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in 1790, and served from 1791 until 1818, when he resigned. He resumed his extensive business interests, and was elected as a Federalist to the Fourth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

Daniel Hiester 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 in the Province of Pennsylvania, he was a member of the Hiester ...

. He was reelected to the Fifth Congress and served from December 8, 1796, until October 1797, when he resigned. He resumed his business interests, and built and operated Schuylkill County Forge, near Port Clinton in 1804. He died at his residence, "Charming Forge," in Marion Township; interment was in Zion's Church Cemetery, Womelsdorf.Montgomery, Morton, ''History of Berks County Pennsylvania in the Revolution,'' (1894: Chas Haage, Printer, Reading, PA), pp 225–227

References

;Sources {{DEFAULTSORT:Ege, George 1748 births 1829 deaths Politicians from Philadelphia People of colonial Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Dutch people Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania state court judges American slave owners Burials in Pennsylvania