Joseph Lefever

Joseph Lefever (April 3, 1760 – October 17, 1826) was an American politician who served a single term in the United States House of Representatives, representing the 3rd congressional district of Pennsylvania from 1811 to 1813 as a member of the Democratic-Republican Party. He was born on April 3, 1760, in Strasburg Township in the Province of Pennsylvania, in an area located near what is now Paradise, Pennsylvania. His early life unfolded in colonial Pennsylvania during the final decades of British rule and the subsequent American Revolution, shaping the context in which he later entered public life.

Details of Lefever’s formal education are not extensively documented, but like many men of his time and region, he likely received a basic education consistent with the rural, agrarian communities of southeastern Pennsylvania. Growing up in Strasburg Township, he would have been influenced by the political and social changes of the late eighteenth century, including the movement toward independence and the formation of the new federal government. These experiences helped situate him within the emerging Democratic-Republican political tradition that emphasized agrarian interests and states’ rights.

Prior to his service in Congress, Lefever was identified with the Republican, or Democratic-Republican, Party in Pennsylvania. As a member of this party, he was part of the dominant political coalition in the state during the early nineteenth century, aligned with the principles associated with Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Although specific local offices or occupations he may have held before entering national office are not recorded in surviving accounts, his selection as a congressional representative indicates that he had achieved a measure of standing and trust among voters in his region.

Lefever’s congressional career was concentrated in a single term in the national legislature. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican to represent Pennsylvania’s 3rd congressional district in the 12th United States Congress, with his tenure beginning on March 4, 1811, and concluding on March 3, 1813. As a member of the Republican Party representing Pennsylvania, Joseph Lefever contributed to the legislative process during this one term in office. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, encompassing the mounting tensions with Great Britain that led to the War of 1812. During his time in the House of Representatives, he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents in southeastern Pennsylvania at a moment when questions of trade restrictions, national defense, and foreign policy dominated the national agenda.

The record of Lefever’s participation in congressional proceedings indicates that he missed 140 of the 314 roll call votes held between November 1811 and March 1813. While the reasons for this level of absenteeism are not detailed in surviving sources, the voting record provides a quantitative measure of his engagement with floor business during his term. Nonetheless, his presence in the 12th Congress placed him among those legislators who deliberated on the policies that shaped the early republic in the years immediately preceding and during the early stages of the War of 1812.

After leaving Congress at the close of his term on March 3, 1813, Lefever did not return to national office, placing him among the United States representatives who served a single term. He returned to private life in Pennsylvania, remaining associated with the community in and around Paradise Township. Although the historical record offers limited detail about his specific activities in these later years, his continued residence in the region underscores his enduring ties to the localities he had represented at the federal level.

Joseph Lefever died at the age of 66 in Paradise Township, Pennsylvania, on October 17, 1826. He was interred in Carpenter’s Graveyard, located in Paradise, Pennsylvania. His life and brief congressional service are preserved in official federal records, including the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, and he is noted in modern compilations of representatives who served a single term in the House of Representatives.