Henry Muhlenberg

Henry Muhlenberg
A portrait of Muhlenberg, c. 1780
Born
Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg

(1711-09-06)September 6, 1711
DiedOctober 7, 1787(1787-10-07) (aged 76)
EducationUniversity of Halle
Childrensee Muhlenberg family
ChurchPennsylvania Ministerium
TitlePatriarch of the Lutheran church in America
Signature

Henry Melchior Muhlenberg (born Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg; September 6, 1711 – October 7, 1787), was a German-born Lutheran clergyman and missionary. Born in Einbeck, Muhlenberg immigrated to the Province of Pennsylvania in response to demands from Lutherans for missionary work in the colony. Muhlenberg was integral to the founding of the first Lutheran church body or denomination in North America, and is considered the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in the United States.[1]

Muhlenberg and his wife Anna Maria had a large family, and they and their descendants had a significant impact on colonial life in North America as pastors, military officers, and politicians. He and Anna Maria's descendants continued to be active in Pennsylvania and national political life.