Representative John Benton Sterigere

John Benton Sterigere (July 31, 1793 – October 13, 1852) was an American politician and lawyer from Pennsylvania who served as a Jacksonian Democrat member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania’s 5th congressional district from 1827 to 1831. He became a prominent figure in state and national Democratic politics in the first half of the nineteenth century, holding legislative office at multiple levels of government and playing a significant role in Pennsylvania’s constitutional revision of 1838.

Sterigere was born on July 31, 1793, in Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania, near what is today Ambler, Montgomery County. He was the son of Peter Sterigere (1760–1806) and Ann Elizabeth Sterigere (née Haupt) (1770–1853). Raised in a rural setting, he worked on a farm in his youth and attended local schools. His early experience in agricultural labor and limited formal education was typical of many Pennsylvanians of his generation and provided the background from which he entered public life in the early nineteenth century.

Sterigere’s public career began at the local level when he was appointed a justice of the peace in 1818, a position that gave him early experience in minor judicial and administrative matters. He soon advanced to state office, being elected a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where he served from 1821 to 1824. During this period he pursued legal studies, and on November 17, 1829, he was admitted to the bar. He commenced the practice of law in Norristown, Pennsylvania, which became his professional and political base for the remainder of his life. In addition to his legal work, he later edited the Register, a local newspaper, which further enhanced his influence in Norristown and the surrounding region.

At the national level, Sterigere was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twentieth Congress and was reelected to the Twenty-first Congress, representing Pennsylvania’s 5th congressional district from 1827 to 1831. While in the U.S. House of Representatives, he aligned with the policies of President Andrew Jackson and the emerging Democratic Party. During the Twenty-first Congress he served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Private Land Claims, where he was involved in the consideration of petitions and disputes relating to land titles and grants, an important issue in a period of westward expansion and settlement.

After leaving Congress, Sterigere remained active in Pennsylvania politics and constitutional reform. In 1838 he served as a delegate to the state convention called to revise the Pennsylvania Constitution. At that convention he proposed an amendment inserting the word “white” into the suffrage provisions of the constitution. The amendment was adopted, and its effect was to disenfranchise African American voters in Pennsylvania, marking a significant and restrictive change in the state’s electoral law. His role in this measure became one of the most consequential and controversial aspects of his political career.

Sterigere continued his legislative service in the Pennsylvania State Senate. He represented the 3rd district in 1839 and later served as a senator for the 2nd district from 1843 to 1846. In these roles he participated in the governance of a rapidly industrializing state, dealing with issues such as internal improvements, finance, and the evolving party system. Beyond his formal legislative duties, he was appointed by the state assembly as chairman of a commission to improve the town of Norristown, reflecting his prominence in local civic affairs and his interest in the development and modernization of his community.

In the final phase of his career, Sterigere remained engaged in national party politics. He was a delegate to the 1852 Democratic National Convention, underscoring his continued standing within the Democratic Party up to the end of his life. He died in Norristown, Pennsylvania, on October 13, 1852. His life and career spanned the early republic and Jacksonian eras, and he left a complex legacy as a lawyer, legislator, party leader, and constitutional reformer in Pennsylvania.