Jacob Hostetter was born on May 9, 1754, near York (later Hanover) in the Province of Pennsylvania.
[1] Hostetter was commissioned as judge in York County on February 28, 1801.
[3][4] He was elected as a Republican to the Fifteenth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Jacob Spangler.
He then continued working as a clockmaker with his son Jacob Jr.
[2] Hostetter's son Jacob served in the Ohio legislature and worked as an associate judge.