David Ziegler David Ziegler ( July 13 , 1748 – September 24 , 1811 ) was a German immigrant to the United States who served in the U . S . military and became the first mayor of Cincinnati , Ohio . Early life and career . Johann David Ziegler was born in Heidelberg , Germany . Little is known of his early life . He became a soldier , and was said to have fought in the Seven Years ' War under Frederick the Great . He served with distinction in the army of Russia during the Russo - Turkish War ( 1768 – 1774 ) . He became an officer , was wounded in action , and resigned his commission in 1774 with the demobilization of the Russian army . About 1775 Ziegler emigrated to Lancaster County , Pennsylvania , soon before shooting began in the American Revolutionary War . He served in the Continental Army as a lieutenant and adjutant under Colonel William Thompson in the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment , a unit with many German immigrants . He was severely wounded at the Battle of Long Island on August 27 , 1776 . After recovering , he rejoined General George Washington ' s army for the Philadelphia campaign , seeing action at Brandywine , Germantown , Paoli and Monmouth , and wintering with the army at Valley Forge . He was promoted to captain in December 1778 , and served as brigade inspector of the Pennsylvania Brigade , his experience making him a good choice for drill instructor . He subsequently served as commissary general under General Arthur St . Clair , though he preferred to serve in the field with his regiment . His unit , being well - disciplined , did not participate in the mutiny of the Pennsylvania Line in January 1781 . The Pennsylvania troops were reorganized and Ziegler was present at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown in October 1781 . After Yorktown Ziegler accompanied his regiment to South Carolina to serve under General Anthony Wayne . With the end of the war , Ziegler retired from the army on January 1 , 1783 . Unsure about what he was going to do with his life , he openly wept during the final review of the troops by General Nathanael Greene . Frontier soldier . After the war he settled in Carlisle , Pennsylvania , and opened a grocery store . He became a member of the Society of the Cincinnati . Military service again beckoned , and in August 1784 he was commissioned a captain in the United States Army to serve on the Ohio Valley frontier under Colonel Josiah Harmar . In 1789 he was promoted to major by President George Washington . That year he commanded the military escort to Native Americans , including Chief Cornplanter , at the Treaty of Fort Harmar near Marietta , Ohio . While stationed at Fort Harmar , Ziegler married Lucy Anne Sheffield on February 22 , 1789 . Sheffield was a native of Rhode Island , and had come to Marietta with her widowed mother , who was a shareholder in the Ohio Company . The Zieglers did not have any children . In 1790 Ziegler was a part of Harmar ' s campaign against the Native American confederacy in Ohio , which ended in defeat and retreat to Fort Washington . Ziegler was a witness at Harmar ' s court of inquiry : he supported his commander and blamed the debacle on undisciplined militia , inadequate supplies , and poor logistics . Commissioned a major in the First American Regiment on October 22 , 1790 , the next year Ziegler accompanied General St . Clair in another expedition into the Northwest Territory , which met with even more disastrous results at the Battle of the Wabash . Ziegler performed well , covering the retreat of the fleeing Americans . Ziegler was placed in command of the western forces when St . Clair was recalled for a court of inquiry . Once again Ziegler was called to testify , and again he supported his commander . Disturbed by disputes and jealousy in the officer corps , he resigned from the army on March 5 , 1792 . Cincinnati . Ziegler settled near Cincinnati , trying his hand at farming before opening a general store in the town . In December 1799 , after hearing the news of the death of President Washington , Ziegler was a pallbearer in a mock funeral held for Washington , one of many such ceremonies performed around the country . After the rapidly growing settlement of Cincinnati was incorporated as a village in 1802 , Ziegler was elected as mayor , then known as " President of the Council " . He was unanimously reelected for a second term in 1803 , but declined to run again in 1804 . He was thereafter elected as commander of the local militia and held other public offices , including serving in 1807 as the adjutant general of the Ohio Militia . He was a wealthy man when he died in 1811 . He was buried in Cincinnati . As the city grew , in 1844 his remains were transferred to another cemetery in the city . Several years later his remains were moved once again to lie with his wife in Woodland Cemetery in Dayton , Ohio . Cincinnati ' s Ziegler Park , at Sycamore Street between 13th and 14th Streets , was named for him by Over - the - Rhine Germans . Historian James H . O ' Donnell wrote : Ziegler was one of those absolutely dependable soldiers and public servants to whom the new country owed a great debt . Throughout his career , he had fulfilled responsibility in the most exemplary manner . Whether escorting ammunition to General Washington , carrying a flag of truce to enemy lines , guarding Native American diplomats , or standing fast in the face of enemy fire amid hysterical militia in retreat , Ziegler was ever the calm , loyal professional .