Muhlenberg, Frederick

Muhlenberg, Frederick A. C. (1750-1801) Speaker of the House: Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg was born on January 1, 1750, in Trappe, Pennsylvania. He was educated in Germany, at the University of Halle, and studied theology. In 1770, he was ordained a Lutheran minister in Pennsylvania. After preaching in Pennsylvania, he went to New York, but left when the British entered. He continued to serve as a pastor in various parts of Pennsylvania until 1779, when he became a member of the Continental Congress. Attending the Congress again in 1780, he served in the state House of Representatives from 1780 to 1783, and was Speaker in 1780. In 1787, he was a delegate and president of the state convention to ratify the US Constitution. Muhlenberg was elected to the US House of Representatives, and served in four terms (1789-1797). Elected Speaker of the House for the First and Third Congresses (1789-1791, 1793-1795), he left Congress in 1797. After returning to Pennsylvania, he became president of the Council of Censors, and was appointed receiver general of the Pennsylvania Land Office in 1800. He served in the latter capacity until his death on June 4, 1801, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He was buried in Woodward Hill Cemetery.