Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg (1818–1901) was an American educator and

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

clergyman who served as president of

Muhlenberg College Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg College is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Muhlenberg, the German pat ...

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in eastern Pennsylvania, United States. The county seat of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, it is the List o ...

, and as a

Greek language Greek (, ; , ) is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language, constituting an independent Hellenic languages, Hellenic branch within the Indo-European language family. It is native to Greece, Cyprus, Italy (in Calabria and Salento), south ...

and literature professor at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Family

Muhlenberg was born to

German American German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...

s Frederick Augustus Hall Muhlenberg (1795–1867) and his wife Elizabeth Schaum in

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster ( ) is a city in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 58,039 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, eighth-most populous ci ...

, on August 25, 1818. Frederick A. Hall Muhlenberg was the son of Gotthilf Henry Ernst Muhlenberg a noted botanist. Muhlenberg was born at

, where his father was a physician and a trustee of Franklin College. F. A. H. Muhlenberg had received his M.D. from the

where

Benjamin Rush Benjamin Rush (April 19, 1813) was an American revolutionary, a Founding Father of the United States and signatory to the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and a civic leader in Philadelphia, where he was a physician, politician, social refor ...

had been among his teachers. In 1848, Muhlenberg married Catherine Anne Muhlenberg. She was a granddaughter of Gotthilf Muhlenberg's brother

Peter Muhlenberg John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (October 1, 1746October 1, 1807) was an American clergyman and military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. A member of Pennsylvania's prominent Muhlenberg family political dynasty, he became ...

, and thus a second-cousin of Frederick. They were the parents of six sons.

Education and career

Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg began his education at Pennsylvania College (now

Gettysburg College Gettysburg College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1832, the campus is adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield. Gettysburg College has about ...

) and then transferred to Jefferson College (now

Washington and Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, United States. The college traces its origin to three Presbyterian missionaries in the 1780s: John McMillan, Thaddeus Dod, and ...

) from which he graduated in 1836. He then studies at

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a Private university, private seminary, school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Establish ...

. In 1840 Muhlenberg joined the faculty of Franklin College (now

Franklin & Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1787 as Franklin College and later merged with Marshall College in 1853, it is one of the oldest colleges in the United St ...

). In 1850, Muhlenberg joined the faculty of Pennsylvania College, where he taught Greek and served as college Librarian. In 1854 he was ordained a Lutheran minister, and actively served as such in various Lutheran Churches in and around Gettysburg. He remained at Pennsylvania College until 1867. From 1867 to 1876, Muhlenberg served as president of

. In 1876, Muhlenberg was appointed a professor of

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

at the

, where he remained until 1888. He was elected as a member to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1878. In 1891, Muhlenberg became the president of

Thiel College Thiel College (, ) is a private college in Greenville, Pennsylvania, United States. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is one of the smallest colleges in the region with about 100 full-time and part-time faculty ...

. However, in 1893 a stroke forced him to resign that position. He lived in

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; ) is a city in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 95,112 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fourth-most populous ...

, from 1893 until his death on March 21, 1901.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Muhlenberg, Frederick Augustus 1818 births People from Reading, Pennsylvania Gettysburg College alumni Washington & Jefferson College alumni Princeton Theological Seminary alumni Franklin & Marshall College faculty 19th-century American Lutheran clergy Muhlenberg College faculty American people of German descent Muhlenberg family University of Pennsylvania faculty Thiel College 1901 deaths