Representative Peter Ihrie

Peter Ihrie Jr. (February 3, 1796 – March 29, 1871) was a Jacksonian member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. He was born in Easton, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, where he spent the greater part of his life. Raised in this growing commercial and political center along the Delaware River, he came of age in the early years of the American republic, a setting that helped shape his later involvement in law, state politics, and national affairs.

Ihrie pursued higher education at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, one of the leading institutions of the state at the time. He graduated in 1815. After completing his collegiate studies, he read law and prepared for the bar, following the customary path of legal apprenticeship in the early nineteenth century. He was admitted to the bar in 1818 and commenced the practice of law in his native Easton, establishing himself as a member of the local legal community.

In addition to his legal practice, Ihrie became active in educational and civic affairs. In 1826 he was a charter member of the board of trustees of Lafayette College, founded that year in Easton. His role in the early governance of the college placed him among the local leaders who sought to expand higher education opportunities in the region. At the same time, he entered state politics and served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1826 and 1827, participating in legislative deliberations during a period of expanding democratic participation and internal improvements within the Commonwealth.

Ihrie’s state-level experience and his alignment with the emerging Jacksonian movement led to his election to the United States House of Representatives. As a member of the Jackson Party representing Pennsylvania, Peter Ihrie contributed to the legislative process during two terms in office. He was elected as a Jacksonian candidate to the Twenty-first Congress to fill in part the vacancies caused by the resignations of George Wolf and Samuel D. Ingham, and he was reelected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-second Congress. Peter Ihrie’s service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, as the Jacksonian era reshaped national politics; he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents in Pennsylvania during debates over federal power, economic policy, and political reform.

After his congressional service, Ihrie continued to be involved in public and civic life in Pennsylvania. He served as a brigadier general of the state militia in 1845, reflecting both his standing in the community and the continued importance of state military organizations in the mid-nineteenth century. In addition to his legal and military roles, he was a member of the board of directors of the Easton Bank, contributing to the financial and commercial development of his hometown.

Peter Ihrie Jr. spent his later years in Easton, remaining connected to the legal, educational, and business institutions he had helped shape. He died in Easton, Pennsylvania, on March 29, 1871. He was interred in Easton Cemetery, where his burial marked the close of a career that encompassed service at the local, state, and national levels during a formative era in the political life of Pennsylvania and the United States.