Muhlenberg, John Peter Gabriel

Muhlenberg, John Peter Gabriel (1746–1807) minister, soldier, U.S. representative; born in Trappe, Pa. (son of Henry Melchior Mühlenberg). Having taken Anglican orders, he served as pastor of a Lutheran parish in Woodstock, Va. (1771–76). He raised and led the 8th Virginia Regiment (largely composed of German-Americans) in the Revolutionary War, and as a result of his several brave actions, was breveted major-general in 1783. As vice-president of Pennsylvania (1785–88), he worked to adopt the U.S. Constitution. He served Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives (Dem.-Rep., 1789–91, 1793–95, 1799–1801) and one month in the U.S. Senate (Dem.-Rep., 1801). He was collector of customs at Philadelphia (1802–07). Pennsylvania placed his statue in the U.S. Capitol.