Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg (educator)
Encyclopedia
Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg (1818–1901) was an American educator, serving among other positions as a Greek language and literature professor at the University of Pennsylvania
and a college president as well as a Lutheran clergyman.
Muhlenberg was born to Frederick Augustus Hall Muhlenberg (1795–1867) and his wife Elizabeth Schaum. Frederick A. Hall Muhlenberg was the son of Gotthilf Henry Ernst Muhlenberg a noted botanist. Muhlenberg was born at Lancaster, Pennsylvania
where his father was a physician and a trustee of Frankin College. F. A. H. Muhlenberg had received his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania
where Benjamin Rush
had been among his teachers.
Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg began his education at Pennsylvania College (now Gettysburg College
) and then transferred to Jefferson College (now Washington and Jefferson College) from which he graduated in 1836. He then studies at Princeton Theological Seminary
. In 1840 Muhlenberg joined the faculty of Franklin College (now Franklin & Marshall College
).
In 1848 Muhlenberg married Catherine Anne Muhlenberg. She was a descendant of Gotthilf Muhlenberg's uncle Peter Muhlenberg
, and thus a third-cousin of Frederick. They were the parents of six sons.
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 1867-1876 Muhlenberg served as president of Muhlenberg College
. In 1876 Muhlenberg was appointed a professor of Greek at the University of Pennsylvania
where he remained until 1888.
In 1891 Muhlenberg became the president of Thiel College
. However in 1893 a stroke forced him to resign that position. He lived in Reading, Pennsylvania
from 1893 until his death.
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and a college president as well as a Lutheran clergyman.
Muhlenberg was born to Frederick Augustus Hall Muhlenberg (1795–1867) and his wife Elizabeth Schaum. Frederick A. Hall Muhlenberg was the son of Gotthilf Henry Ernst Muhlenberg a noted botanist. Muhlenberg was born at Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
where his father was a physician and a trustee of Frankin College. F. A. H. Muhlenberg had received his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
where Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush was a Founding Father of the United States. Rush lived in the state of Pennsylvania and was a physician, writer, educator, humanitarian and a Christian Universalist, as well as the founder of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania....
had been among his teachers.
Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg began his education at Pennsylvania College (now Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College is a private four-year liberal arts college founded in 1832, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States, adjacent to the famous battlefield. Its athletic teams are nicknamed the Bullets. Gettysburg College has about 2,700 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women...
) and then transferred to Jefferson College (now Washington and Jefferson College) from which he graduated in 1836. He then studies at Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
. In 1840 Muhlenberg joined the faculty of Franklin College (now Franklin & Marshall College
Franklin & Marshall College
Franklin & Marshall College is a four-year private co-educational residential national liberal arts college in the Northwest Corridor neighborhood of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States....
).
In 1848 Muhlenberg married Catherine Anne Muhlenberg. She was a descendant of Gotthilf Muhlenberg's uncle Peter Muhlenberg
Peter Muhlenberg
John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg was an American clergyman, Continental Army soldier during the American Revolutionary War, and political figure in the newly-independent United States...
, and thus a third-cousin of Frederick. They were the parents of six sons.
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 1867-1876 Muhlenberg served as president of Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America.- History...
. In 1876 Muhlenberg was appointed a professor of Greek at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
where he remained until 1888.
In 1891 Muhlenberg became the president of Thiel College
Thiel College
Thiel College is a private, liberal arts, sciences and professional studies college related to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Thiel provides affordable high-quality college experience with dedicated faculty, numerous leadership opportunities and a wide variety of student activities and...
. However in 1893 a stroke forced him to resign that position. He lived in Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
from 1893 until his death.
Sources
- University of Pennsylvania biography
- listing of presidents of Muhlenberg College
- http://books.google.com/books?id=RK4WAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA171&lpg=PA171&dq=%22Frederick+Augustus+Muhlenberg%22+Muhlenberg+College&source=bl&ots=EEu5k1I1Q2&sig=iMTC0fXJluHzbw7gZKUChwQ2vcY&hl=en&ei=djL0S8D7KJO8M8Hu4fsN&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBUQ6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q=%22Frederick%20Augustus%20Muhlenberg%22%20Muhlenberg%20College&f=falseSolomon Erb Ochsenford. Muhlenberg College: A querter-centennial memorial volume (1892) p. 171 ff.]