Representative George Ege

George Ege (March 9, 1748 – December 14, 1829) was a United States Congressman elected to the House of Representatives from Pennsylvania and a prominent ironmaster, jurist, and landowner in Berks County during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. A member of the Federalist Party representing Pennsylvania, he contributed to the legislative process during two terms in office, serving in Congress during a formative period in American national development and participating in the democratic process on behalf of his constituents.

Ege was born on March 9, 1748, in Germantown in the Province of Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. He was the son of Anna Catherine (Holz) Ege and George-Michael Ege, who had immigrated from Germany in 1738. His father served in the French and Indian War, after which he suffered from poor health and died in 1759, when George was only eleven years old. Following this loss, George and his two brothers, Jacob Ege (born 1745) and Michael Ege (born 1753), were sent to live and study under the care of their mother’s wealthy brother-in-law, Henry William Stiegel. Stiegel, a noted glass-maker and entrepreneur, maintained substantial estates in Manheim, Pennsylvania, and at Elizabeth Furnace, as well as several outside business interests, including an iron operation known as “Charming Forge” in the Womelsdorf area of Berks County. Under “Baron” Stiegel’s tutelage, Ege and his brothers received practical instruction in the management and operation of ironworks, an education that would shape George Ege’s subsequent career.

By 1774, Ege had succeeded Stiegel as owner of Charming Forge. He developed the property extensively, constructing a mansion on the site adjacent to the stream that powered the iron mill; this residence, also called “Charming Forge,” became his principal home and remained in use long after his death. Through careful management and expansion, Ege prospered with the forge, adding additional forges and properties and becoming one of the wealthiest citizens of Berks County. His prosperity was tied to the labor systems of the era, and he was a slave owner. Alongside his industrial pursuits, he emerged as a leading figure in the local community, his economic influence reinforcing his later roles in public life.

Ege entered formal public service in the early years of the new American republic. In 1783, he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, participating in state-level governance during the critical post-Revolutionary period. With the adoption of the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1790, he was appointed one of the first associate judges of Berks County. He began his judicial service in 1791 and held the position until 1818, when he resigned. As an associate judge, he helped administer justice in a rapidly developing region, balancing his judicial responsibilities with his extensive business interests in iron production and landholdings.

At the national level, Ege was elected as a Federalist to the United States House of Representatives during a time of intense political and ideological formation in the new federal government. He was chosen to the Fourth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Daniel Hiester and took his seat on December 8, 1796. He was subsequently reelected to the Fifth Congress. His service in Congress extended from December 8, 1796, until October 1797, when he resigned his seat. As a member of the Federalist Party representing Pennsylvania, Ege contributed to the legislative process during his two terms in office, taking part in the early shaping of federal policy and representing the interests of his constituents in a period marked by debates over the scope of federal power, fiscal policy, and relations with foreign powers.

After leaving Congress, Ege resumed and expanded his business enterprises. He continued to manage Charming Forge and his other properties, further consolidating his status as a leading ironmaster in the region. In 1804, he built and operated the Schuylkill County Forge near what is now Port Clinton, Pennsylvania, extending his industrial reach into neighboring areas and contributing to the early industrial development of the state. His combined roles as industrialist, judge, and former congressman made him an influential figure in Berks County and the surrounding region well into the early nineteenth century.

George Ege died on December 14, 1829, at his residence, “Charming Forge,” in what is now Marion Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. He was interred in Zion’s Church Cemetery in Womelsdorf. His life reflected the intertwined growth of Pennsylvania’s iron industry, local governance, and early federal politics in the decades following American independence.