Rapp, George (1757–1847)

German-born US religious leader. In 1803 he established a communistic settlement in Pennsylvania, called the Harmony Society, with himself as dictator. In 1814 the community migrated to Posey County, Indiana, encountered hostility, and returned in 1824 to settle at Economy (now Ambridge), Pennsylvania. There the colony prospered, becoming known for its wines, spirits, and woollen goods. As one of its tenets was celibacy, the community gradually and inevitably declined.

Born in Iptingen, a farmer's son, he studied the Bible on his own and became the leader of a group of 200 like-minded families; as Protestant separatists they were subject to persecution.