Henry Augustus Philip Muhlenberg

Henry Augustus Philip Muhlenberg (May 13, 1782 – August 11, 1844) was an American political leader, clergyman, and diplomat, and a prominent member of the Muhlenberg family political dynasty. A Democrat from Pennsylvania, he served five terms in the United States House of Representatives during a formative period in the nation’s political development and later became the first United States Minister to the Austrian Empire.

Muhlenberg was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on May 13, 1782. He was the son of Mary Catherine (née Hall) Muhlenberg and Gotthilf Henry Ernest Muhlenberg, a distinguished Lutheran clergyman and noted botanist. His paternal grandfather, Henry Muhlenberg, was a German-born Lutheran pastor sent to North America as a missionary and is often regarded as a patriarch of American Lutheranism. His paternal grandmother, Anna Maria (née Weiser) Muhlenberg, was the daughter of prominent colonial leader Conrad Weiser. Muhlenberg’s uncles included Frederick Muhlenberg, a Revolutionary War figure who became the first Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and Peter Muhlenberg, a Revolutionary War general who later served as the eighth Vice-President of Pennsylvania under Benjamin Franklin before his election as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania. This family background placed Henry Augustus Philip Muhlenberg within one of the most influential political and ecclesiastical lineages in early American history.

Educated in the intellectual and religious traditions of his family, Muhlenberg pursued the study of theology and prepared for the Lutheran ministry. He was ordained a Lutheran minister in 1802. The following year, in April 1803, he became pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Reading, Pennsylvania, a position he held for more than a quarter century, until June 1829. His long pastorate at Trinity Lutheran Church established him as a leading religious figure in the community and provided him with a base of local influence that would later support his political career. In recognition of his standing and interests, he was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1814, reflecting his engagement with the broader intellectual and historical currents of the early republic.

Muhlenberg’s transition from the pulpit to public office culminated in his election to the United States House of Representatives in 1828. He entered national politics as a Jacksonian Democrat, representing Pennsylvania in the 21st United States Congress. He was reelected as a Jacksonian to the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th Congresses, and then again to the 25th Congress as a Democrat, reflecting the evolving party labels of the Jacksonian movement. In total, Henry Augustus Philip Muhlenberg contributed to the legislative process during five terms in office, serving from March 4, 1829, until his resignation on February 9, 1838. His congressional service took place during a significant period in American history, marked by the presidency of Andrew Jackson, the rise of mass party politics, and contentious debates over banking, internal improvements, and federal power. As a member of the Democratic Party representing Pennsylvania, he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents in these national controversies. In a letter dated December 9, 1834, to John M. Read, later Attorney General of Pennsylvania, Muhlenberg commented on James Buchanan’s election to the United States Senate, writing, “I rejoice in the election of our friend Buchanan” and expressing confidence that Buchanan “will be an honor to the State and of much service to our friends,” illustrating his engagement in the political networks of his time.

Muhlenberg’s prominence in Pennsylvania politics extended beyond Congress. He ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Pennsylvania in 1835 and again in 1838, campaigns that underscored his status as a leading Democratic figure in the state even though they did not result in election. His political career also took on an international dimension. On February 8, 1838, he was appointed the first United States Minister to the Austrian Empire. He resigned his seat in the House of Representatives the following day, February 9, 1838, to assume this diplomatic post. Muhlenberg presented his credentials in Vienna on November 7, 1838, inaugurating formal ministerial-level representation of the United States at the Austrian court. He served in Vienna until September 18, 1840, when he left his post and was succeeded by Daniel Jenifer. After returning from Austria, he remained an important figure in Pennsylvania Democratic politics and was nominated by the Democratic Party for governor a third time in 1844; however, he died before the election took place.

Muhlenberg’s personal life reflected both the prominence and the tragedies common to his era. He married twice. His first marriage, in 1805, was to Mary Elizabeth Muhlenberg (1784–1806). She died on March 21, 1806, in childbirth, leaving one daughter, Mary Elizabeth Muhlenberg (1806–1838), who later married the Reverend Ehrgott Jonathan Deininger (1801–1881). On June 7, 1808, Muhlenberg remarried, taking as his second wife Rebecca Hiester (1781–1841), the daughter of Elizabeth (née Witman) Hiester and Joseph Hiester, the fifth governor of Pennsylvania. This union further strengthened his ties to Pennsylvania’s political leadership. Henry and Rebecca Muhlenberg had several children: an infant daughter named Emma Elizabeth Muhlenberg, who died in infancy; Hiester Henry Muhlenberg (1812–1886), who married Amelia Howard (1817–1852) and, after her death, Katharine Spang Hunter (1835–1913); a second daughter named Emma Elizabeth Muhlenberg (1817–1833), who died unmarried; Rosa Catharine Muhlenberg (1821–1867), who married Gustavus Anthony Nicolls (1817–1886); and Henry Augustus Muhlenberg (1823–1854), who was himself elected to Congress and married his cousin, Ann Hall Muhlenberg.

Henry Augustus Philip Muhlenberg died in Reading, Pennsylvania, on August 11, 1844. He was interred at Charles Evans Cemetery in Reading, a city where he had spent much of his adult life as pastor, politician, and community leader. His legacy extended into subsequent generations of the Muhlenberg family. Through his son Henry, he was the grandfather of Henry Augustus Muhlenberg III, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1892, continuing the family’s long-standing involvement in American public life.