Rees Hill

Rees Hill (August 15, 1776 – November 24, 1852) was a U.S. army colonel[1] in the War of 1812 and a politician who served as a Republican and Democratic-Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Greene County from 1810 to 1813 and from 1814 to 1820,[2] including as Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1816 and 1819. He also served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 18th district from 1821 to 1822 and the 20th district from 1823 to 1824.

Rees Hill
member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 20th district
In office
1823–1824
member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 18th district
In office
1821–1822
Preceded byIsaac Weaver Jr.
Succeeded byJacob M. Wise
18th Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In office
1819–1819
Preceded byWilliam Davidson
Succeeded byJoseph Lawrence
16th Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In office
1816–1816
Preceded byJacob Holgate
Succeeded byWilliam Davidson
member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Greene County
In office
1814-1820
1810-1813
Personal details
BornAugust 15, 1776 (1776-08-15)
Frederick County, Virginia
DiedNovember 24, 1852(1852-11-24) (aged 76)
near Winchester, Virginia
Political partyDemocratic Republican
SpouseNancy Heaton

Early life

Hill was born in Frederick County, Virginia to Robert and Priscilla (Bowen) Hill.[3] He conducted most of his business in Pennsylvania, became a successful merchant in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania[4] and married Nancy Heaton.[5]

Military service

He served as a colonel during the War of 1812 leading the 147th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Militia. His regiment was originally stationed in Erie, Pennsylvania to guard a naval facility.[4] On July 30, 1813, his detachment received orders to join the northwestern army and served in Ohio and Michigan.[6][7] He was commended by then-general (and future president) William Henry Harrison in a letter to President James Madison.[8]

Rees Hill (along with Thomas Sargeant of Harrisburg, Cromwell Pearce of Chester County, and Samuel McKean of Bradford County) was appointed as an aide de camp to Governor William Findlay, the commander in chief of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.[9]

On March 3, 1819, Congress and President James Monroe approved an act to reimburse Hill for money he had spent for expenses of his troops during the War of 1812.[10][11]

Political career

Hill was a member of the Democratic Republican party.[12]

Hill was Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in two non-consecutive years (1816 and 1819).[13] His first election as speaker took place on December 5, 1815.[14] He was elected as speaker a second time on December 10, 1816.[15] On December 1, 1818, he again won election as speaker with 74 votes (other votes were: John Purdon – 9, Samuel Bond – 1, Phineas Jenks – 1, and William N. Irvine – 1).[16] On December 7, 1819 (for the session beginning in December, 1819 and lasting through most of 1820), he came in third in a vote for speaker with 14 of the 93 votes cast. (The speaker elected was Joseph Lawrence with 56 votes. Other votes were: Phineas Jenks – 21, Wilson Smith – 1, and William Lehman – 1).[17][18]

He served as chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means in the Pennsylvania House in 1820.[19] He was elected to the Pennsylvania Senate for the 18th district in November, 1820 and served from 1821 to 1822. He also represented the 20th district from 1823 to 1824.[5]

After his political career ended, Hill returned to Virginia and managed the estates of his father and Uncles. He died on November 24, 1852, in Frederick County, Virginia and was interred in Winchester, Virginia.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Public Debt", Berks and Schuylkill Journal, p. 2, April 28, 1821
  2. "A List of Senators and Members of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of", Berks and Schuylkill Journal, p. 2, November 15, 1817
  3. Leckey, Howard L. (1977). The Tenmile Country and Its Pioneer Families. Waynesburg, Pennsylvania: Greene County Historical Society. p. 290. ISBN 0-8063-5097-0. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  4. "Pennsylvania House of Representatives - Rees P. Hill 1815-1817, 1818-1819". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  5. "Pennsylvania State Senate - Rees Bowen Hill Biography". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  6. "Erie, July 30, 1813", True American, p. 3, August 11, 1813
  7. "(Advertisement)", True American, p. 4, September 21, 1814
  8. Lundy's Lane Historical Society (1902), "The documentary history of the campaign upon the Niagara frontier ...", Tribune, India, vol. 5, pp. 141–142
  9. "Appointments by the Governor", Berks and Schuylkill Journal, p. 2, November 14, 1818
  10. "The Public Statutes at Large of the United States of America", National Advocate, p. 2, June 7, 1819
  11. United States (1846), The Public Statutes at Large of the United States of America, vol. 6, Charle C. Little and James Brown, p. 231
  12. "From the Waynsburgh Messenger Sept 21 to the Republicans", Washington Reporter, p. 2, September 30, 1816
  13. Scharf, John Thomas; Westcott, Thompson (1884), History of Philadelphia, 1609–1884: 1609–1884, Everts, p. 1766
  14. "(Legislative)", National Standard, p. 3, December 27, 1815
  15. "(Legislative)", American Beacon, p. 3, December 13, 1816
  16. Spirit of the Times, vol. 1, no. 6, p. 3, December 8, 1818 {{citation}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. Carlisle Republican, vol. 1, no. 6, p. 23, December 14, 1819 {{citation}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. "From the National Intelligencer. State Concerns.", American (New York), p. 2, December 15, 1819
  19. "Letters", Franklin Gazette, p. 2, February 22, 1820
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