Gabriel Hiester

The son of a Westphalia immigrant, whose early family descendants formed the first major political family in Pennsylvania, Gabriel Hiester was born June 17, 1749 in Bern Township, Berks County, the son of Daniel and Josanna (Hager) Hiester.  He pursued farming; was educated at the Bern Church, and emerged as an influential political figure, serving as a delegate to the 1776 Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention and the 1790 Constitutional Convention.  Gabriel enlisted as a sergeant in his brother Daniel’s company during the Revolution; served as a justice of the Common Pleas Court in 1778; was a member of the unicameral Assembly in 1782, 1787-1789; the State House of Representatives in 1791, 1802-1804; and the Senate of Pennsylvania, 1791-1796, 1804-1812.  In addition to Col. Daniel, his family members also included brother, John Hiester and first cousin Governor Joseph Hiester, who he succeeded in the state Senate.  He passed away in Bern Township, September 1, 1824; survived by his wife, the former Elizabeth Bausmanm. 
Morton Montgomery, History of Berks County, 756.