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| name = Frederick Muhlenberg
| name = Frederick Muhlenberg
| image = Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg by Joseph Wright, 1790, oil on canvas with applied wood strip, from the National Portrait Gallery - NPG-7400002A 2.jpg
| image = Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg by Joseph Wright, 1790, oil on canvas with applied wood strip, from the National Portrait Gallery - NPG-7400002A 2.jpg
| caption = [[Portrait of Frederick Muhlenberg|Portrait]] by [[Joseph Wright (American painter)|Joseph Wright]], 1790
| caption = [[Portrait of Frederick Muhlenberg]], 1790
| order = 1st
| order = 1st
| office = Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
| office = Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
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| birth_name = Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg
| birth_name = Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg
| birth_date = {{birth date|1750|1|1}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1750|1|1}}
| birth_place = [[Trappe, Pennsylvania|Trappe]], [[Province of Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]], [[British America]]
| birth_place = [[Trappe, Pennsylvania|Trappe]], Pennsylvania, British America
| death_date = {{death date and age|1801|6|4|1750|1|1}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1801|6|4|1750|1|1}}
| death_place = [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| death_place = [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| resting_place = [[Woodward Hill Cemetery]]
| resting_place = [[Woodward Hill Cemetery]]
| party = [[Democratic-Republican Party|Democratic-Republican]] (1795–1801)<br/>[[Anti-Administration Party (United States)|Anti-Administration]] (1791–1795)<br/>Pro-Administration (before 1791)
| party = [[Democratic-Republican Party|Democratic-Republican]] (1795–1801)<br/>[[Anti-Administration Party (United States)|Anti-Administration]] (1791–1795)<br/>[[Federalist Party|Pro-Administration]] (before 1791)
| relatives = [[Muhlenberg family]]
| relatives = [[Muhlenberg family]]
| alma_mater = [[University of Halle-Wittenberg|University of Halle]]
| alma_mater = [[University of Halle-Wittenberg|University of Halle]]
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| designation1_free1value = 151 W Main St., Trappe, across from strip mall}}
| designation1_free1value = 151 W Main St., Trappe, across from strip mall}}
}}
}}
'''Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|juː|l|ᵻ|n|b|ɜːr|ɡ}}; January 1, 1750 – June 4, 1801) was an American [[minister of religion|minister]] and [[Politics of the United States|politician]] who was the first [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives]] and the first [[Dean of the United States House of Representatives]]. A member of the [[Federalist Party]], he was delegate to the Pennsylvania state constitutional convention and a [[List of United States Representatives from Pennsylvania|member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania]] and a [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] pastor by profession, Muhlenberg was born in [[Trappe, Pennsylvania]]. His home, known as [[The Speaker's House]], is now a museum and is currently undergoing restoration to restore its appearance during Muhlenberg's occupancy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.speakershouse.org/restoration/|title=House Restoration|website=The Speakers House|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-28}}</ref>
'''Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|juː|l|ᵻ|n|b|ɜːr|ɡ}}; January 1, 1750 – June 4, 1801) was an American [[minister of religion|minister]] and [[Politics of the United States|politician]] who was the first [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives]] and the first [[Dean of the United States House of Representatives]]. A member of the [[Federalist Party]], he was delegate to the Pennsylvania state constitutional convention and a [[List of United States Representatives from Pennsylvania|member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania]] and a [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] pastor by profession, Muhlenberg was born in [[Trappe, Pennsylvania]]. His home, known as [[The Speaker's House]], is now a museum and is currently undergoing restoration to restore its appearance during Muhlenberg's occupancy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.speakershouse.org/restoration/|title=House Restoration|website=The Speakers House|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-28|archive-date=May 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520103822/http://www.speakershouse.org/restoration/|url-status=dead}}</ref>


==Early life and ministerial career==
==Early life and education==
Frederick Muhlenberg was born in [[Trappe, Pennsylvania]], the son of Anna Maria (Weiser) and [[Henry Muhlenberg|Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg]]. His father, an immigrant from [[Germany]], was considered the founder of the [[Lutheran Church]] in North America. His maternal grandfather was Pennsylvania German colonial leader [[Conrad Weiser]]. His brother, [[Peter Muhlenberg|Peter]], was a general in the [[Continental Army]] and his brother Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst was a botanist.<ref>Minardi, Lisa. "[http://www.immigrantentrepreneurship.org/entry.php?rec=272 Frederick Muhlenberg]." In ''Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present'', vol. 1, edited by Marianne S. Wokeck. German Historical Institute. Last modified May 31, 2016.</ref>
Muhlenberg was born in [[Trappe, Pennsylvania]], the son of Anna Maria (Weiser) and [[Henry Muhlenberg|Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg]]. His father, an immigrant from [[Holy Roman Empire|Germany]], was considered the founder of the [[Lutheranism|Lutheran Church]] in [[North America]]. His maternal grandfather was Pennsylvania German colonial leader [[Conrad Weiser]]. His brother, [[Peter Muhlenberg|Peter]], was a general in the [[Continental Army]] and his brother Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst was a botanist.<ref>Minardi, Lisa. "[http://www.immigrantentrepreneurship.org/entry.php?rec=272 Frederick Muhlenberg]." In ''Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present'', vol. 1, edited by Marianne S. Wokeck. German Historical Institute. Last modified May 31, 2016.</ref>


In 1763, together with his brothers [[John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg|John Peter Gabriel]] and [[Gotthilf Henry Ernst Muhlenberg|Gotthilf Henry Ernst]], he attended the Latina at the Franckesche Stiftungen<ref>Archiv der [http://192.124.243.55/cgi-bin/gkdb.pl Franckeschen Stiftungen], AF St/S B I 94 I, 575–577</ref> in [[Halle, Saxony-Anhalt|Halle]], Germany. In 1769, he attended the [[University of Halle]], where he studied [[Christian theology|theology]]. He was ordained by the [[Pennsylvania Ministerium]] as a minister of the Lutheran Church on October 25, 1770. He preached in [[Stouchsburg, Pennsylvania]], and [[Lebanon, Pennsylvania]], from 1770 to 1774, and in [[New York City]] from 1774 to 1776. When the British entered New York at the onset of the [[American Revolutionary War]], he felt obliged to leave and returned to Trappe. He moved to [[New Hanover Township, Pennsylvania]] and was pastor there and in [[Oley Township, Pennsylvania|Oley]] and [[Bally, Pennsylvania|New Goshenhoppen]] until August 1779.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://history.house.gov/People/Detail/18657|title=MUHLENBERG, Frederick Augustus Conrad – US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives|website=history.house.gov}}</ref>
In 1763, together with his brothers [[John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg|John Peter Gabriel]] and [[Gotthilf Henry Ernst Muhlenberg|Gotthilf Henry Ernst]], he attended the [[Latin school|Latina]] at the [[Francke Foundations|Franckesche Stiftungen]]<ref>Archiv der [http://192.124.243.55/cgi-bin/gkdb.pl Franckeschen Stiftungen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221442/http://192.124.243.55/cgi-bin/gkdb.pl |date=March 3, 2016 }}, AF St/S B I 94 I, 575–577</ref> in [[Halle, Saxony-Anhalt|Halle]], Germany. In 1769, he attended the [[University of Halle]], where he studied [[Christian theology|theology]].


==Career==
On October 15, 1771, he married Catherine Schaeffer, the daughter of wealthy Philadelphia sugar refiner David Schaeffer. They had seven children.{{citation needed|date = April 2016}}
On October 25, 1770, Muhlenberg was ordained by the [[Pennsylvania Ministerium]] as a minister of the [[Lutheranism|Lutheran Church]]. He preached in [[Stouchsburg, Pennsylvania]], and [[Lebanon, Pennsylvania]], from 1770 to 1774, and in [[New York City]] from 1774 to 1776. When the [[British Army during the American Revolutionary War|British Army]] entered New York at the onset of the [[American Revolutionary War]], he felt obligated to leave, and returned to Pennsylvania. He moved to [[New Hanover Township, Pennsylvania|New Hanover Township]], and was a pastor there and in [[Oley Township, Pennsylvania|Oley]] and [[Bally, Pennsylvania|New Goshenhoppen]] until August 1779.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://history.house.gov/People/Detail/18657|title=Muhlenberg, Frederick Augustus Conrad – US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives|website=history.house.gov}}</ref>

==Political career==


=== Continental Congress ===
=== Continental Congress ===
Muhlenberg was a member of the [[Continental Congress]] in 1779 and 1780, and served in the [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives]] from 1780 to 1783. He was elected its [[Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives|speaker]] on November 3, 1780.{{citation needed|date = April 2016}} He was a delegate to and chairman of the Pennsylvania state constitutional convention in 1787 called to ratify the [[U.S. Constitution|Federal Constitution]]. He was the first signer of the [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]].{{citation needed|date = April 2016}}
Muhlenberg was a member of the [[Continental Congress]] in 1779 and 1780, and served in the [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives]] from 1780 to 1783. He was elected its [[Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives|speaker]] on November 3, 1780.<ref name=Muhlenberg>{{cite web |url=https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/SpeakerBios/SpeakerBio.cfm?id=113 |title=Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg 1780–1783 |website=legis.state.pa.us |access-date=January 30, 2024}}</ref> He was a delegate to and chairman of the Pennsylvania state constitutional convention in 1787 called to ratify the [[U.S. Constitution|Federal Constitution]]. He was the first signer of the [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/april-fools-german-as-americas-official-language |title=Did German almost become America's official language in 1795? |last=Bomboy |first=Scott |date=April 1, 2019 |website=constitutioncenter.org |access-date=January 30, 2024}}</ref>


=== U.S. House of Representatives ===
=== U.S. House of Representatives ===
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In 1794, during Muhlenberg's second tenure as Speaker, the House voted 42–41 against a proposal to translate some of the laws into [[German language|German]]. Muhlenberg, who himself abstained from the vote, commented later that "the faster the Germans become Americans, the better it will be."<ref name="spiegel">[http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/zwiebelfisch/0,1518,306711,00.html Bastian Sick: ''German as the official language of the USA?'']</ref> Despite not having voted against the bill, a [[urban legend|legend]], the [[Muhlenberg legend|Muhlenberg Legend]], developed in which he was responsible for prohibiting German as an official language of the United States.<ref name="spiegel"/>
In 1794, during Muhlenberg's second tenure as Speaker, the House voted 42–41 against a proposal to translate some of the laws into [[German language|German]]. Muhlenberg, who himself abstained from the vote, commented later that "the faster the Germans become Americans, the better it will be."<ref name="spiegel">[http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/zwiebelfisch/0,1518,306711,00.html Bastian Sick: ''German as the official language of the USA?'']</ref> Despite not having voted against the bill, a [[urban legend|legend]], the [[Muhlenberg legend|Muhlenberg Legend]], developed in which he was responsible for prohibiting German as an official language of the United States.<ref name="spiegel"/>


According to another legend, Muhlenberg also suggested that the title of the President of the United States should be "Mr. President," instead of "His High Mightiness" or "His Elected Majesty," as [[John Adams]] had suggested.{{citation needed|date = April 2016}}
According to another legend, Muhlenberg also suggested that the title of the President of the United States should be "Mr. President," instead of "His High Mightiness" or "His Elected Majesty," as [[John Adams]] had suggested.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nwitimes.com/news/j-mark-powell/article_5afe7cb6-6703-11ee-859d-dfd177cee460.html |title=Speaking of the Speaker ... |last=Powell |first=J. Mark |date=October 15, 2023 |website=nwitimes.com |access-date=January 30, 2024}}</ref>

⚫
=== Other offices ===


⚫
===Other offices===
Muhlenberg was president of the council of censors of Pennsylvania, and was appointed receiver general of the Pennsylvania Land Office on January 8, 1800, serving until his death in [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania]], on June 4, 1801.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.speakershouse.org/history/|title=Frederick Muhlenberg – The Speakers House|work=The Speakers House|access-date=2018-06-11|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160725185553/http://www.speakershouse.org/history/|archive-date=July 25, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Muhlenberg was president of the council of censors of Pennsylvania, and was appointed receiver general of the Pennsylvania Land Office on January 8, 1800, serving until his death in [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania]], on June 4, 1801.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.speakershouse.org/history/|title=Frederick Muhlenberg – The Speakers House|work=The Speakers House|access-date=2018-06-11|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160725185553/http://www.speakershouse.org/history/|archive-date=July 25, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>


==Personal life==
⚫
== Death and legacy ==
On October 15, 1771, Muhlenberg married Catherine Schaeffer, the daughter of wealthy [[Philadelphia]] sugar refiner David Schaeffer. They had seven children.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archives.upenn.edu/exhibits/penn-people/biography/frederick-augustus-conrad-muhlenberg/ |title=Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg 1750–1801 |website=archives.upenn.edu |access-date=January 30, 2024}}</ref>
He was interred in [[Woodward Hill Cemetery]] in Lancaster.{{citation needed|date = April 2016}}


⚫
==Death==
{{libship honor|name=F. A. C. Muhlenberg|type=his}}
On June 4, 1801, Muhlenberg died in [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania]], at age 51. He was interred in [[Woodward Hill Cemetery]] in Lancaster.<ref name=Muhlenberg/>

[[File:Speaker of the House Frederick Muhlenberg Gravesite.jpg|thumb|The gravesite of Speaker Muhlenberg]]

==Legacy==
*On July 9, 1945, with [[World War II]] still ongoing, the S.S. ''Muhlenberg'', named in Muhlenberg's honor, was launched at the [[Bethlehem Fairfield Shipyard]] in [[Baltimore]].


==See also==
==See also==
* [[German language in the United States]]
* [[German language in the United States]]
* [[The Speaker's House]], in Trappe, Pennsylvania, home of Frederick Muhlenberg
* [[Muhlenberg College]], in [[Allentown, Pennsylvania]], named for [[Henry Muhlenberg]]
* [[Muhlenberg College]], in Allentown, Pennsylvania, named for [[Henry Muhlenberg]]
* [[The Speaker's House]], in [[Trappe, Pennsylvania]], home of Frederick Muhlenberg


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{Category commons}}
*{{Cite NIE|wstitle=Muhlenberg, Frederick Augustus Conrad |year=1905 |short=x}}
*{{Cite NIE|wstitle=Muhlenberg, Frederick Augustus Conrad |year=1905 |short=x}}
*{{Cite Appletons'|wstitle=Muhlenberg, Henry Melchior |year=1900 |short=x}}
*{{Cite Appletons'|wstitle=Muhlenberg, Henry Melchior |year=1900 |short=x}}
*{{cite book|last=Ritchie|first=Donald A.|title=Muhlenberg, Frederick Augustus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WyEGeCwD63AC&q=frederick+muhlenberg&pg=PA146|work=The Congress of the United States: A Student Companion|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=146|year=2006|isbn=9780195309249}}
*{{cite book|last=Ritchie|first=Donald A.|title=Muhlenberg, Frederick Augustus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WyEGeCwD63AC&q=frederick+muhlenberg&pg=PA146|series=The Congress of the United States: A Student Companion|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=146|year=2006|isbn=9780195309249}}
*{{cite book|last=Peters|first=Ronald M. Jr.|title=The American Speakership: The Office in Historical Perspective|url=https://archive.org/details/americanspeakers00pete|url-access=registration|year=1990|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|location=Baltimore, MD|isbn=9780801839559 }}
*{{cite book|last=Peters|first=Ronald M. Jr.|title=The American Speakership: The Office in Historical Perspective|url=https://archive.org/details/americanspeakers00pete|url-access=registration|year=1990|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|location=Baltimore, MD|isbn=9780801839559 }}
*{{cite book|title=Appendix 2: Election of House Speaker, First-112th Congresses|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v0e4buNfOT4C&q=frederick+muhlenberg&pg=PA332|work=Fighting for the Speakership: The House and the Rise of Party Government|publisher=Princeton University Press|author1=Jenkins, Jeffery A. |author2=Charles Stewart, III |page=332|year=2012|isbn = 978-0691156446}}
*{{cite book|title=Appendix 2: Election of House Speaker, First-112th Congresses|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v0e4buNfOT4C&q=frederick+muhlenberg&pg=PA332|series=Fighting for the Speakership: The House and the Rise of Party Government|publisher=Princeton University Press|author1=Jenkins, Jeffery A. |author2=Charles Stewart, III |page=332|year=2012|isbn = 978-0691156446}}
*{{Cite web| title=speakershouse.org/restoration|url=https://www.speakershouse.org/restoration/}}
*{{Cite web| title=speakershouse.org/restoration| url=https://www.speakershouse.org/restoration/| access-date=May 1, 2019| archive-date=May 20, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520103822/http://www.speakershouse.org/restoration/| url-status=dead}}
* {{Findagrave|5835}}


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[[Category:18th-century American Lutheran clergy]]
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[[Category:Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania]]
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[[Category:Lutherans from Pennsylvania]]
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[[Category:Muhlenberg family]]
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[[Category:People from colonial Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Politicians from Lancaster, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Politicians from Lancaster, Pennsylvania]]
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[[Category:Pro-Administration Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:18th-century American Lutheran clergy]]
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[[Category:Speakers of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives]]
[[Category:18th-century Lutheran theologians]]
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[[Category:Speakers of the United States House of Representatives]]
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[[Category:University of Halle alumni]]
[[Category:University of Halle alumni]]
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[[Category:Burials in Pennsylvania]]
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[[Category:Burials at Woodward Hill Cemetery]]

Latest revision as of 21:16, 18 November 2024

For other people named Frederick Muhlenberg, see Frederick Muhlenberg (disambiguation).

Frederick Muhlenberg
Portrait of Frederick Muhlenberg, 1790
1st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
In office
December 2, 1793 – March 4, 1795
Preceded byJonathan Trumbull Jr.
Succeeded byJonathan Dayton
In office
April 1, 1789 – March 4, 1791
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byJonathan Trumbull Jr.
Dean of the United States House of Representatives
In office
March 4, 1789 – March 4, 1797
Preceded byTitle established
Succeeded byThomas Hartley
George Thatcher
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania
In office
March 4, 1789 – March 4, 1797
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byBlair McClenachan (2nd)
ConstituencyAt-large (1789–1791)
2nd district (1791–1793)
At-large (1793–1795)
2nd district (1795–1797)
Delegate from Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress
In office
1779–1780
Personal details
Born
Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg

(1750-01-01)January 1, 1750
Trappe, Pennsylvania, British America
DiedJune 4, 1801(1801-06-04) (aged 51)
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Resting placeWoodward Hill Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic-Republican (1795–1801)
Anti-Administration (1791–1795)
Pro-Administration (before 1791)
RelativesMuhlenberg family
Alma materUniversity of Halle
ProfessionMinister of religion
Signature
Official nameFrederick A. C. Muhlenberg (1750–1801)
TypeRoadside
DesignatedApril 12, 2008[1]
Location151 W Main St., Trappe, across from strip mall

Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg (/ˈmjuːlɪnbɜːrɡ/; 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 Representatives. A member of the Federalist Party, he was delegate to the Pennsylvania state constitutional convention and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania and a Lutheran pastor by profession, Muhlenberg was born in Trappe, Pennsylvania. His home, known as The Speaker's House, is now a museum and is currently undergoing restoration to restore its appearance during Muhlenberg's occupancy.[2]

Early life and education

[edit]

Muhlenberg was born in Trappe, Pennsylvania, the son of Anna Maria (Weiser) and Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg. His father, an immigrant from Germany, was considered the founder of the Lutheran Church in North America. His maternal grandfather was Pennsylvania German colonial leader Conrad Weiser. His brother, Peter, was a general in the Continental Army and his brother Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst was a botanist.[3]

In 1763, together with his brothers John Peter Gabriel and Gotthilf Henry Ernst, he attended the Latina at the Franckesche Stiftungen[4] in Halle, Germany. In 1769, he attended the University of Halle, where he studied theology.

Career

[edit]

On October 25, 1770, Muhlenberg was ordained by the Pennsylvania Ministerium as a minister of the Lutheran Church. He preached in Stouchsburg, Pennsylvania, and Lebanon, Pennsylvania, from 1770 to 1774, and in New York City from 1774 to 1776. When the British Army entered New York at the onset of the American Revolutionary War, he felt obligated to leave, and returned to Pennsylvania. He moved to New Hanover Township, and was a pastor there and in Oley and New Goshenhoppen until August 1779.[5]

Continental Congress

[edit]

Muhlenberg was a member of the Continental Congress in 1779 and 1780, and served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1780 to 1783. He was elected its speaker on November 3, 1780.[6] He was a delegate to and chairman of the Pennsylvania state constitutional convention in 1787 called to ratify the Federal Constitution. He was the first signer of the Bill of Rights.[7]

U.S. House of Representatives

[edit]

He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania in the first and the three succeeding United States Congresses (March 4, 1789 – March 4, 1797). Muhlenberg was also the first Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. In August 1789, he cast the deciding vote for the location of the nation's new capital. He did not seek renomination as speaker in 1796. On April 29, 1796, as chairman of the Committee of the Whole, he cast the deciding vote for the laws necessary to carry out the Jay Treaty.[8]

In 1794, during Muhlenberg's second tenure as Speaker, the House voted 42–41 against a proposal to translate some of the laws into German. Muhlenberg, who himself abstained from the vote, commented later that "the faster the Germans become Americans, the better it will be."[9] Despite not having voted against the bill, a legend, the Muhlenberg Legend, developed in which he was responsible for prohibiting German as an official language of the United States.[9]

According to another legend, Muhlenberg also suggested that the title of the President of the United States should be "Mr. President," instead of "His High Mightiness" or "His Elected Majesty," as John Adams had suggested.[10]

Other offices

[edit]

Muhlenberg was president of the council of censors of Pennsylvania, and was appointed receiver general of the Pennsylvania Land Office on January 8, 1800, serving until his death in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on June 4, 1801.[11]

Personal life

[edit]

On October 15, 1771, Muhlenberg married Catherine Schaeffer, the daughter of wealthy Philadelphia sugar refiner David Schaeffer. They had seven children.[12]

Death

[edit]

On June 4, 1801, Muhlenberg died in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, at age 51. He was interred in Woodward Hill Cemetery in Lancaster.[6]

The gravesite of Speaker Muhlenberg

Legacy

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  • United States Congress. "Frederick Muhlenberg (id: M001063)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  • Biography and portrait at the University of Pennsylvania

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ "PHMC Frederick A. C. Muhlenberg (1750–1801)". Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  2. ^ "House Restoration". The Speakers House. Archived from the original on May 20, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  3. ^ Minardi, Lisa. "Frederick Muhlenberg." In Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present, vol. 1, edited by Marianne S. Wokeck. German Historical Institute. Last modified May 31, 2016.
  4. ^ Archiv der Franckeschen Stiftungen Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, AF St/S B I 94 I, 575–577
  5. ^ "Muhlenberg, Frederick Augustus Conrad – US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov.
  6. ^ a b "Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg 1780–1783". legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  7. ^ Bomboy, Scott (April 1, 2019). "Did German almost become America's official language in 1795?". constitutioncenter.org. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  8. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Muhlenberg, John Peter Gabriel". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  9. ^ a b Bastian Sick: German as the official language of the USA?
  10. ^ Powell, J. Mark (October 15, 2023). "Speaking of the Speaker ..." nwitimes.com. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  11. ^ "Frederick Muhlenberg – The Speakers House". The Speakers House. Archived from the original on July 25, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  12. ^ "Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg 1750–1801". archives.upenn.edu. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
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Party political offices
Preceded by Federalist nominee for Governor of Pennsylvania
1793, 1796 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
New district Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district
March 4, 1789 – March 4, 1791
alongside: George Clymer, Thomas Fitzsimons, Thomas Hartley, Thomas Scott, Henry Wynkoop, Daniel Hiester and Peter G. Muhlenberg 		Succeeded by
District eliminated
Redistricted to the 2nd district
Preceded by
District created
Redistricted from the at-large district
 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district
March 4, 1791 – March 4, 1793 		Succeeded by
District eliminated
Redistricted to the 2nd district
Preceded by
District created
Redistricted from the at-large district
 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district
March 4, 1793 – March 4, 1795
alongside: Thomas Fitzsimons, John W. Kittera, Thomas Hartley, Thomas Scott, James Armstrong, Peter G. Muhlenberg, Andrew Gregg, Daniel Hiester, William Irvine, William Findley, John Smilie, and William Montgomery 		Succeeded by
District eliminated
Redistricted to the 2nd district
Preceded by
District created
Redistricted from the at-large district
 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district
March 4, 1795 – March 4, 1797 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
New position
 Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
April 1, 1789 – March 4, 1791 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
December 2, 1793 – March 4, 1795 		Succeeded by
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