William Hiester Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's4th district | |
| In office March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1837 | |
| Preceded by | James Buchanan |
| Succeeded by | Edward Davies |
| Speaker of the Pennsylvania Senate | |
| In office 1842–1842 | |
| Preceded by | John Hoge Ewing |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Crispin |
| Member of thePennsylvania Senate from the6th district | |
| In office 1841–1841 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Evans Cochran |
| Succeeded by | Henry Chapman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1790-10-10)October 10, 1790 Berne, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | October 13, 1853(1853-10-13) (aged 63) |
| Political party | Anti-Masonic |
| Children | Isaac |
| Relatives | Hiester family |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | Pennsylvania Militia |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | War of 1812 |
William Hiester Jr. (October 10, 1790 – October 13, 1853) was an American politician fromPennsylvania who served as anAnti-Masonic member of theUnited States House of Representatives forPennsylvania's 4th congressional district from 1831 to 1837.[1]
As a member of theHiester Family political dynasty,[2] he was the father of U.S. CongressmanIsaac Ellmaker Hiester and the uncle of Pennsylvania State Senator and U.S. CongressmanHiester Clymer.[3]
A son of William Hiester, Sr. and Anna Maria (Myer) Hiester, William Hiester Jr. was born inBerne, Pennsylvania on October 10, 1790. After attending the local, public schools, he became a farmer and merchant inLancaster County.[4]
On February 8, 1824, he wed Lucy Ellmaker (1797-1854).[5] As a member of the prominent Ellmaker family, she was the only child of Isaac Ellmaker (1762-1830) and Christiana Ellmaker (1764-1802). William and Lucy Hiester's son, Isaac Ellmaker Hiester, who was born in New Holland, Lancaster, Pennsylvania on May 29, 1824, would go on to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.[6][7]
William Hiester Jr. served as second lieutenant[8] with Captain Jacob Marshall's infantry company of thePennsylvania Militia's First Regiment, Second Brigade during theWar of 1812.[9] His unit leftReading, Pennsylvania on September 2, 1814, and was assigned to duties inYork, Pennsylvania until March 4, 1815, according to Pennsylvania historianMorton L. Montgomery.[10]
During the early and mid-1820s, Hiester practiced law in Lancaster County. His duties including assisting clients with the resolution of family estate matters.[11] He was also active in local politics and government, serving as Lancaster CountyJustice of the Peace from 1823 to 1828 and as Secretary of the State Caucus for the Anti-Masonic Convention in 1828.[12]
Although Hiester ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives in 1819[13] and 1828, he was a successfulAnti-Masonic Party candidate for Congress in 1830, serving three terms from March 4, 1831 to March 4, 1837.[14][15][16] During his tenure, he advocated for various economic reform measures, including tariffs[17] and the "re-establishment of a sound National Currency."[18]
Hiester was then appointed as a delegate to the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention, 1837-1838,[19] remained active with Democratic Anti-Masonic politics,[20] subsequently served in thePennsylvania State Senate for the6th district from 1840 to 1842,[21] and was electedSpeaker of the Pennsylvania Senate in 1842.[22]
During the final phase of his life, Hiester devoted his time to farming.[23] He also remained active in local politics[24][25] and in charitable and civic affairs.[26][27]
Sometime during the final decade of his life, Hiester fell ill with a disease which caused paralysis.[28] After several years of worsening health, he died fromApoplexy at his home inNew Holland, Pennsylvania on October 13, 1853.[29] He was interred at the Lancaster Cemetery inLancaster, Pennsylvania.
In 1854, a large, four-piece monument was erected above the graves of William Hiester and his wife, Lucy. In addition to a roughly eleven-foot-tall obelisk adorned with a wreath of lilies and roses and marked with the Hiester surname in raised letters, a die "beautifully worked, the top ... finished with scrolls and carving, and on each of the four narrow sides ... a scroll Console highly ornamented," and a roughly four-foot-tall plinth supporting the console, with a roughly five-by-twelve-inch base. Crafted from Italian marble, it reportedly weighed 18,000 pounds.[30]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 4th congressional district 1831–1837 1831–1833 alongside: | Succeeded by |
| Pennsylvania State Senate | ||
| Preceded by Thomas Evans Cochran | Member of thePennsylvania Senate,6th district 1841-1843 | Succeeded by |
