Joseph Hiester | |
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| 5thGovernor of Pennsylvania | |
| In office December 19, 1820 – December 16, 1823 | |
| Preceded by | William Findlay |
| Succeeded by | John Andrew Shulze |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania | |
| In office December 1, 1797 – March 3, 1805 | |
| Preceded by | George Ege |
| Succeeded by | Isaac Anderson,John Whitehill andChristian Lower |
| Constituency | 3rd district (1787–1803) 5th district (1803–1805) |
| In office March 4, 1815 – December 1820 | |
| Preceded by | Daniel Udree |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Udree |
| Constituency | 7th district |
| Member of thePennsylvania House of Representatives | |
| In office 1787–1790 | |
| Member of thePennsylvania Senate for the17th district | |
| In office 1790–1794 | |
| Preceded by | district created |
| Succeeded by | Presley Carr Lane |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1752-11-18)November 18, 1752 Bern Township, Province of Pennsylvania, British America |
| Died | June 10, 1832(1832-06-10) (aged 79) Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | Charles Evans Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Whitman Hiester (?–1825; her death) |
| Signature | .png) |
Joseph Hiester (November 18, 1752 – June 10, 1832) was an American politician, who served as the fifthgovernor of Pennsylvania from 1820 to 1823.[1] He was a member of theHiester familypolitical dynasty, and was a member of theDemocratic-Republican Party.
Hiester was the son of John Hiester and Maria Barbara Epler. He received a common-school education when he was not working on the farm, and became a clerk in a store in Reading run by Adam Whitman. He became a partner in the store in 1771 when he married Elizabeth, Whitman's daughter.[2] He owned slaves.[3]
At the beginning of theAmerican Revolutionary War, he raised and equipped in that town a company with which he took part in the battles ofLong Island andGermantown. He was then promoted tocolonel. He was captured and briefly confined in the prison ship "Jersey," where he did much to alleviate the sufferings of his fellow prisoners. Later he was transferred toNew York City where he was exchanged.[2]
He was a member of the convention of 1776 that drafted theArticles of Confederation, of the Pennsylvania state constitutional convention which ratified theUnited States Constitution, and of the state constitutional convention of 1790. He served in thePennsylvania House of Representatives from 1787 to 1790 and thePennsylvania Senate for the17th district from 1790 to 1794.[4] In 1807, he was appointed one of the two major generals to command the quota of Pennsylvania militia that was called for by thepresident. He served in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1797 until 1805, and again from 1815 until 1820, 14 years altogether. AfterPeter Muhlenberg resigned from the U.S. Senate in 1801, Hiester was one of two major candidates to replace him, but was overwhelmingly defeated byGeorge Logan.[5] In1817, he ran for governor and was defeated byWilliam Findlay. Hiester faced Findlay again in1820 and narrowly won a single term in office. Refusing on principle to stand for reelection in1823,[2] he served until 1824 when he retired from public life. During his term, he presided over the dedication of the first state capitol building in the new capital ofHarrisburg. He surprised partisans and opponents by making appointments strictly on merit rather than party affiliation.[2]
He was known by the nickname of "Old German Grey" and spoke with aPennsylvania Dutch German accent.[6]
Initially buried at Reading's Reformed Church cemetery after his death in 1832, his remains were exhumed and reinterred at theCharles Evans Cemetery during the mid-19th century.[7]
A residence hall on thePenn State University Park campus was named after him.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Federalist nominee forGovernor of Pennsylvania 1817,1820 | Succeeded by |
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of thePennsylvania House of Representatives 1787–1790 | Succeeded by |
| Pennsylvania State Senate | ||
| Preceded by district created | Member of thePennsylvania Senate from the17th district 1790–1794 | Succeeded by Presley Carr Lane |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 5th congressional district 1797–1803 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 3rd congressional district 1803–1805 alongside:Isaac Anderson andJohn Whitehill | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 7th congressional district 1815–1820 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Pennsylvania December 19, 1820 – December 16, 1823 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
