Jacob Hostetter (May 9, 1754 – June 29, 1831) was a judge, member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and a member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Early life

Jacob Hostetter was born on May 9, 1754, near

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

(later

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

) in the

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn, who received the land through a grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania was derived from ...

. He attended the common schools and worked as a

clockmaker A clockmaker is an artisan who makes and/or repairs clocks. Since almost all clocks are now factory-made, most modern clockmakers only repair clocks. Modern clockmakers may be employed by jewellers, antique shops, and places devoted strictly t ...

. He manufactured the Hostetter clock out of a building in Hanover.

Career

Hostetter was a member of the general assembly of Pennsylvania from 1797 to 1802. Hostetter was commissioned as judge in York County on February 28, 1801. He succeeded John Stewart who left for the U.S. Congress and was succeeded by John L. Hinkle. He was elected as a Republican to the

Fifteenth In music, a fifteenth or double octave, abbreviated ''15ma'', is the interval between one musical note and another with one-quarter the wavelength or quadruple the frequency. It has also been referred to as the bisdiapason. The fourth harmonic, ...

Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Jacob Spangler. He was re-elected as a Republican to the Sixteenth Congress. Around 1825, Hostetter moved to

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

and settled in

New Lisbon, Ohio Lisbon is a village in Columbiana County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 2,597 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. Lying along the Little Beaver Creek, the village is located southwest of Youngstown, Ohi ...

. He then continued working as a clockmaker with his son Jacob Jr. He later moved to

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative divisions * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and entertainment * Canton (band), an It ...

Personal life

Hostetter's son Jacob served in the Ohio legislature and worked as an associate judge. He was a minister of the Mennonite Church. Hostetter died on June 29, 1831.

Sources

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hostetter, Jacob 1754 births 1831 deaths American clockmakers Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Politicians from York, Pennsylvania People from Columbiana County, Ohio People from Canton, Ohio Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania American Mennonites 19th-century American judges 19th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives