Representative John Hiester

John Hiester (April 9, 1745 – October 15, 1821) was an American military and political leader whose public career spanned from the Revolutionary War era into the early nineteenth century. A prominent member of the influential Hiester family political dynasty in Pennsylvania, he was the brother of U.S. Representative Daniel Hiester (1747–1804), the father of U.S. Representative Daniel Hiester (1774–1834), and the uncle of U.S. Representative and Pennsylvania State Senator William Hiester (1790–1853). A Republican (Democratic-Republican), he later served in the Tenth United States Congress during the administration of President Thomas Jefferson.

Hiester was born in Goshenhoppen in the Province of Pennsylvania on April 9, 1745. He was a son of Daniel Hiester (1712–1795), a native of Germany who had emigrated to Pennsylvania, and Catharine (Schuler) Hiester (1716–1789), who was born in Pennsylvania. His parents were members of the Reformed Church of Goshenhoppen, reflecting the German Reformed religious tradition that shaped much of the region’s early German-speaking community. The family resided in Upper Salford Township, near what is now Sumneytown, Pennsylvania, where they occupied a substantial homestead that became well known in the area.

Hiester’s upbringing took place in what family historian Henry Melchior Muhlenberg Richards later described as a “fine, two-story brick mansion on the east side of the turnpike, close to Ridge Valley Creek,” a residence so prominent that it was marked on the 1759 map of Pennsylvania published by provincial surveyor Nicholas Scull. The house featured a broad central hall flanked by spacious parlors on the first floor, bedrooms on the second floor, and a large garret above. Heavy eaves and a substantial cornice framed the gable roof, and the structure originally contained a secret closet intended for the safekeeping of plate and valuables “in troublous times.” Growing up in this setting, Hiester was part of a prosperous and politically engaged family that would produce multiple officeholders in state and national government.

After completing his education in the local public schools, Hiester entered the lumber business in Berks County, Pennsylvania, working in partnership with his father. This commercial activity tied him to the economic development of southeastern Pennsylvania at a time when the region’s timber resources were important to construction, trade, and local industry. He married Hannah Pawling (1747–1822), a member of another established Pennsylvania family, and together they had seven children. Through both his business pursuits and his family connections, Hiester became firmly rooted in the social and economic life of the region.

With the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, Hiester volunteered for service in the Pennsylvania militia, reflecting both his family’s public-spirited tradition and the strong support for the Patriot cause in his community. In 1777 he served as a captain in the 1st Company, 4th Battalion under Colonel William Evans. That same year he also held the rank of captain in the 1st Battalion of the Chester County Militia, participating in the local defense and military organization of southeastern Pennsylvania during one of the most critical phases of the war. His continued involvement with the militia after independence led to his commission as a major general of militia, underscoring his standing as a leading military figure in his region during the early years of the new republic.

Hiester’s military service and local prominence helped propel him into state politics. In the early 1800s he was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate, where he represented constituents from Chester County from 1802 to 1806. As a state senator, he was part of the generation of Pennsylvania leaders who navigated the transition from colonial governance to republican state institutions, and he participated in legislative deliberations during a period of rapid growth, westward expansion, and evolving party organization within the Commonwealth.

In 1806, Hiester was elected as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives and served in the Tenth Congress from March 4, 1807, to March 3, 1809. His term coincided with the height of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe, when American foreign policy was dominated by efforts to defend neutral trading rights against British and French interference. In Congress, he took part in the Jefferson administration’s attempts to use economic measures to influence the European belligerents, including the passage of the Embargo Act of 1807 and the Non-Intercourse Act of 1809. These measures, controversial at home but central to the administration’s strategy, placed Hiester at the center of national debates over commerce, neutrality, and the limits of executive and legislative power in foreign affairs.

Hiester remained engaged in public affairs after leaving Congress. In 1816 he joined John Cochran, J. P. Helfenstein, John Ramsey, and W. J. Duane in advocating the creation of “an Independent Electoral Ticket” in Pennsylvania, an effort that reflected ongoing factional realignments within the state’s Republican ranks and broader national disputes over presidential succession and party organization. Their appeal to Pennsylvania voters was published in the October 26, 1816, edition of the Lancaster Intelligencer, indicating Hiester’s continued influence and interest in shaping electoral politics even after his formal legislative service had ended.

John Hiester died in Goshenhoppen, Pennsylvania, on October 15, 1821. He was interred at Union Cemetery in Parker Ford, Pennsylvania. His life and career, encompassing military leadership during the Revolution, service in the Pennsylvania State Senate, and a term in the United States House of Representatives, exemplified the role of the Hiester family in the political development of Pennsylvania and the early United States.