USA > New Jersey > Memorial cyclopedia of New Jersey, Volume I > Part 26
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Dr. Murray married, in 1830, Eliza J., daughter of Rev. Morgan John Rhees, a native of Wales, and a Baptist minister, and was the father of ten children, six of whom preceded him to the grave.
THOMSON, John R.,
Statesman, Diplomat.
A native of Pennsylvania, this distin- guished man passed the greater part of his life in New Jersey, upon which he re- flected honor by his eminent abilities and signal usefulness.
He was born September 25, 1800, in Philadelphia. There he received his educa- tion, and entered upon a business career in the counting room of a large importing house, which he afterward represented for a time in China, engaged in the tea trade. While there absent he received from Presi- dent Monroe the appointment of United States Consul for the port of Canton. Hav- ing amassed an ample competency, in 1825 he returned to the United States and, mar- rying a sister of Commodore Stockton, he took up his residence in Princeton, New Jersey, and entered upon a career the narra- tive of which makes a brilliant page in the history of the State.
Mr. Thomson was among the first to man- ifest an interest in the construction of the Delaware and Raritan canal; he was the first secretary of the company which con- structed and operated it, and he was an ac- tive member of its board of directors until his death, and for very many years its mov- ing spirit. He was also an early advocate of the Carnden & Amboy railroad, and sub- sequently of the various railway lines which .. came to be known as the United Companies of New Jersey, in which corporation he was a director and a large stockholder.
Meanwhile he was making himself felt in political circles. An ardent Democrat of the Jacksonian type, he took an active part in the various presidential campaigns after 1828. In 1842 he was among those most urgent in contending for the necessity of a new State constitution, and he made an energetic canvass in its advocacy. The con- vention assembled in 1844, and many of his ideas were incorporated into the constitu- tion which it framed. In that same year
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he was the Democratic candidate for Gov- ernor, but was defeated, and for a time thereafter he took little part in political affairs. In 1853 he was elected United States Senator, to fill the vacancy occasion- ed by the resignation of his brother-in- law, Commodore Stockton. In 1857 he was elected to the Senate for a full term, but he was not permitted to serve out its period. A lingering illness confined him to his home for a considerable time, terminating with his death, March 3, 1863. His passing away was generally deplored, and the high esti- mation in which he was held was appro- priately voiced in a tribute by Hon. Robert F. Stockton, at a meeting of the stockhold- ers of the Delaware & Raritan Canal Com- pany, at Princeton, May 11, 1863. He said :
Mr. Thomson was secretary of the Delaware & Raritan Canal Company from its organization, and a member of the board of directors until his decease. Possessed of business talents of the highest order, he devoted himself to the duties of his position with zeal. Industrious, faithful and accurate, for more than thirty years he served the company with a fidelity never ques- tioned, and with an intelligent aptitude for the duties devolved upon him, which could not be excelled. In serving the company he served the people of New Jersey, whose State pride is grat- ified and whose interests are largely promoted by the success of this great work. He took part, in an important epoch in the history of the State, in urging the adoption of the present constitution of New Jersey as a substitute for the imperfect organization of the State government which pre- ceded it, and he closed his career while repre- senting New Jersey in the Senate of the United States, to which distinguished position he was twice elected by the legislature. Valuable as Mr. Thomson's services were to these companies, dis- tinguished as was his political career, yet by us, who were his companions and friends, he will be regretted for those social qualities of which he was so eminently possessed; his memory will be recalled by the recollection of the delightful hours we have passed in companionship with him. We will mourn on our own account the society of the friend we have lost, the charm of his con- versation, his cheerful smile and pleasant anec- dote. His vacant seat leaves a social vacuum that can never be filled. His absence is a loss which we cannot cease to fcel with peculiar force
on the recurrence of our annual meetings. Iden- tified with the history of the Delaware & Rari- tan Canal Company from its origin, his name will likewise be remembered in the history of New Jersey, while his memory will be cherished by a large circle of personal friends.
SEELEY, Elias P.,
Governor, Distinguished Jurist.
The name of this distinguished man, while holding an honorable place in the records of the State as the occupant of various im- portant positions, is more familiarly asso- ciated with a cause celebre, the famous suit between the Orthodox and Hicksite Quak- ers as to property rights when the two bod- ies separated.
He was born in Cumberland county, New Jersey, in 1791, and was descended from one of the Puritan immigrants who removed from Connecticut to New Jersey about the close of the seventeenth century. His fath- er lived in Bridgeton, and was a man of consequence, serving in both the Assembly and Legislative Council. Young Seeley had meagre educational opportunities, and he owed his fine intellectual equipment to his natural abilities and persistent private study. He read for his profession as lawyer under the office preceptorship of Daniel Elmer. He was licensed as an attorney in 1815, and at once engaged in practice, adding to his income by transacting business as a con- veyancer. In 1829 he was elected a mem- ber of the Legislative Council, was twice re-elected, and in 1832 was chosen president of that body. In 1833 he was elected by the Legislature to the Governorship, a vacancy in that office having been created by the election of Samuel L. Southard to the United States Senate. However, he held the office only from March until Novem- ber, when the Jacksonian Democrats again came into power, and elected Peter D. Vroom to the executive chair. Mr. Seeley served in the Legislature several years af- ter he left the gubernatorial office. He was politically opposed to Democratic doctrines
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WILLIAM HALSEY Newark's First Mayor
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as held by the followers of Jackson, and he a full share of unrequited labor as a citi- was an active and zealous Whig. ze11.
While Governor, and in his capacity as Chancellor, the most important case that came before him was the celebrated "Quak- er Case," on appeal from the decision of the Court of Appeals, of which he was er of- ficio the presiding officer. The hearing of the cause occupied a month, the reading of the testimony alone taking up nine days. The original decree was affirmed, seven of the judges (the Governor included), sus- taining it, while four dissented. The de- cision was that the Hicksites (the seceding body) was not entitled to the property in dispute; but the Chancellor, by direction of the court, read a carefully prepared recom- mendation that a settlement be made, and this was subsequently carried out and con- firmed by a statute that property rights were not to be affected by the separation of the two bodies.
Governor Seeley died in 1846.
HALSEY, William,
First Mayor of Newark.
William Halsey, whose distinction it was to serve as the first mayor of the city of Newark, was a native of Essex county, born at Short Hills, in 1770. He studied law, and entered upon practice at the age of twenty-four. From that time he rose rap- idly in the esteem of the people, not only in Newark, where he took up his abode, but throughout the entire county. In his pro- fession he displayed talents of a high order. and he was especially able in the conduct of criminal cases, principally on the defense. Aside from his profession, he was regard- ed as one of Newark's ablest and most en- terprising men, and while he avoided tak- ing public office throughout nearly his en- tire career, he was always among the fore- most in public movements intended to ad- vance the welfare of the community, and during his long life performed far more than
In 1836, Newark, then containing a pop- ulation of something under twenty thou- sand, was incorporated by Act of the Legis- lature, and at the first, election held under the charter, William Halsey was elected mayor, and with him officers and council- men who were concededly nien of excep- tional ability and sterling integrity. Mr. Halsey was now well advanced in years, having reached the age of sixty-six, and he had shown his aversion for official dis- tinction by constantly refusing all such hon- ors down to that time. He had been now appealed to as one whose services were de- manded by the people, at a time of unusual necessity, when a new municipal govern- ment was to be set in motion. He submit- ted to the general demand, and, despite his years, entered upon his arduous duties with energy and enthusiasm seldom manifested except by men in the meridian of life. Un- der his administration the present city seal was designed and adopted, and public build- ings were provided for. Among the lat- ter was the city hall and court house, con- tracted for at a cost of $71,000, and so prompt was the action of mayor and coun- cil that the corner stone of the edifice was laid on August 24 of the same year in which Mr. Halsey entered upon the office of mayor, and in that capacity he was the principal figure in the dedicatory exercises. As the chief orator he proceeded with high- ly interesting reminiscences of the history of the Essex county court house. After briefly recapitulating the terms of the union between the city and the county, he said : "By this union the interests of the county have become more particularly identified with the interests of the city. A natural union, like that of a parent with a child, united to build, in connection, a dwelling for the mutual accommodation ; a union the ef- fect of which will be economy, a saving to both parties; a union the effect of which
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will be a magnificent building, creditable to the State, the county and the city-central in its situation, convenient in its construc- tion, and of materials as durable as time."
Some years after retiring from the mayoralty, Mr. Halsey accepted a seat cn the bench of the Court of Common Pleas, and brought to his duties his accustomed ability and fidelity. He died suddenly in 1843, at the age of seventy-three, from an attack of apoplexy.
BATEMAN, Ephraim,
Physician, Statesman.
Among the honored citizens of New Jer- sey of a previous generation was Ephraim Bateman, one of the many professional men who also achieved prominence outside of their professions, namely in the field of pol- itics ; thus proving that a successful life needs not necessarily be a specialized one.
Ephraim Bateman was born at Cedarville, Cumberland county, New Jersey, in 1770, of an honorable parentage. After receiving such a good practical public school educa- tion as the time afforded, he chose the pro- fession of medicine, and in the practice of this was extremely successful, receiving recognition of his talent from a large clien- tele. For many years he occupied a seat in the New Jersey Legislature, where he per-
committees on agriculture and enrolled bills.
He married, and one of his sons, Dr. Benjamin Rush Bateman, was a prom- inent physician, of Bridgeton, New Jersey, for sixty years, and was the father of Rob- ert Morrison and Ephraint Bateman, both- 'prominent physicians of New Jersey, there- by following in the footsteps of the respect- ed father and grandfather. Senator Bate- man died at Cedarville, his native place, January 21, 1829.
OLDEN, Charles Smith,
Governor, Legislator.
Hon. Charles Smith Olden was born in Stony Brook, near Princeton, New Jersey, February 19, 1799, son of Hart and Tem- perance (Smith) Olden, grandson of Thom- as and Sarah (Hart) Olden, and a descen- dant of William and Elizabeth (Giles) Old- en, of John Hart, Signer of the Declara- tion of Independence, and of James Giles, who came from England in 1668 and set- tled in Bound Brook, New Jersey. The home in which Charles Smith Olden was born has been in possession of the family since 1606.
He attended school at Princeton and the Lawrenceville Academy. He served as a clerk in his father's store, and before at- taining his. majority, went to Philadelphia. formed efficient work to the entire. satisfac- . where he found employment in the store of tion of his constituents. From 1815-23 he Matthew Newkirk, was received into the firm as a partffer, finally sent to New Or- leans to take the management of the branch represented his State in the National Con- gress, where he served on the committee on postoffice and accounts. His election to the " house of Newkirk & Company, and in which United States Senate occurred while he was he was engaged from 1825 to 1834. He had now amassed a competence, and he returned to New Jersey, purchased a fine farm near Princeton, and was supposedly retired to the quiet life of a gentleman farmer. How- ever, in 1844 he was elected to the State Senate, and was re-elected in 1847, extend- ing his official service to a period of six year. A Whig in politics, lie gave his support to Millard Fillmore in 1856, the year which witnessed the birth of the Republican party. officiating as president of the Council of his own State, and he enjoyed the unique distinction of casting the vote which elect- ed himself, defeating his opponent, Theo- dore Frelinghuysen. This procedure was acted on by a committee of the Senate, who reported the action as entirely legal, and he served from November 10, 1826, to January, 1829. In the Senate he also did excellent committee work, serving on the
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That campaign resulted in the final dis- ruption of the Whig party, and he allied himself with the Republicans, and as their candidate was elected Governor in 1859, defeating General E. R. V. Wright, Dein- ocrat. He had been liberally conservative in his sentiments as toward the South, but when the war issue was precipitated he gave an unhesitating and unfaltering support to the national government, and was numbered among President Lincoln's most dependa- ble friends, and as "War Governor" he organized and equipped the full quota of troops from the State in response to the calls of the President. His record during this trying period was of the purest, no- blest and most patriotic character, his integ- rity was never questioned, and his admin- istration gave general satisfaction. Not- withstanding the exactions of that crucial period in the history of the State and Na- tion,-the Civil War-Governor Olden was by no means neglectful of other interests, and to him was largely due the erection of the new State House in Trenton, and the establishment of the State Lunatic Asylum. After his retirement from the executive chair, he sat on the bench of the Court of Errors and Appeals and the Court of Par- dons, 1868-73; and as Riparian Commis- sioner, 1869-75. He was a Republican Pres- idential Elector in 1872, and president of the Electoral College of the State that year, and cast his vote for the re-election of Gen- eral Ulysses S. Grant to the presidency.
Governor Olden was a warm friend of education, and particularly of the College of New Jersey. He was its treasurer from 1845 to 1869, and a trustee from 1863 to 1876. He usefully aided in extricating the college from financial embarrassment after the burning of Nassau Hall in 1855, when as treasurer he disbursed more than $50,- 000, and personally advanced the sum of $20,000. He was also primarily instru- mental in securing the establishment of the John C. Green School of Science, and in di- recting the attention of the Green family to
the university, and to its great advantage. He married Phoebe Ann, daughter of Wil- liam and Rebecca (Wilson) Smith. He died in Princeton, April 7, 1876.
STRATTON, Charles C.,
First Governor Elected by the People.
Charles C. Stratton, who, while the six- teenth Governor of New Jersey, enjoyed the distinction of being the first elected by the people (his predecessors being chosen under legislative authority), was born in 1796, in Swedesboro, New Jersey. He ac- quired only a coinmon school education, but his natural ability and force of character compensated for early deficiencies. He was a member of the State Legislature for four terms. As a Whig he was elected to the Twenty fifth Congress, and served in the termi 1837-39. He was elected to the next Congress, and received his credentials bear- ing "the broad seal" of his State, but vide Congressional Directory, "was not allowed to take his seat." However, he was re- turned to the Twenty-seventh Congress, and held his seat to the end of the term. At the close of his congressional service he was chosen a member of the convention which revised the State Constitution. In 1844 he was elected Governor, being the first to be called to that high office by vote of the peo- ple. Upon the expiration of his guberna- torial term he retired to his farm in Glouces- ter county, near the historic village of Swedesboro, his birthplace, and where he died, March 30, 1859.
WARD, Hon. Marcus Lawrence,
Lawyer, Governor, Statesman.
Hon. Marcus Lawrence Ward, Gov- ernor of the State of New Jersey, was a man so richly gifted by nature that he would have risen to a place of distinction in any sphere to which he had been called. As statesman, financier, philanthropist. gen- eral business man, he alike showed remark-
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able executive ability and indomitable en- ergy. So valuable and impressive were the results he achieved, that he was honored with election to the highest office in the State, and in this rendered service of in- calculable benefit. He possessed in rich measure the characteristics which had dis- tinguished his ancestors.
Vikings were the progenitors of the Ward family, and they fought against oth- ers of the name of Ward in the army of William the Conqueror. Among Anglo- Saxons who went to the Crusades there were also many of the name. . William de la Warde appears in Chester, England, in 1173, and about twelve generations later we have William Ward, of Dudley Castle, who was created first Earl of Derby. Rob- ert Warde, of Houghton Parva, Northamp- tonshire, married Isabel or Sybil Stapley, of Dunchurch, County Warwick, had a son James, who married Alice Fawkes or Faulks, who in their turn had a son Ste- phen, who married Joice or Joyce Traford, of Leicestershire. Sergeant John Ward, of Wethersfield, Branford and Newark, son of Stephen and Joyce ( Traford) Ward, was the American progenitor of this branch of the Ward family, and the direct ancestor of the subject of this sketch. He was one of the signers of the settlement agreement in 1666, and was one of the foremost citi- zens of the "Towne upon the Passaick riv- er." Some generations later we have Moses Ward, a manufacturer, who mar- ried Fanny, a daughter of Gilbert and La- vinia (Wooley ) Brown.
Hon. Marcus Lawrence Ward was born in Newark, November 9. 1812, and died in that city, April 25. 1884. His education, which was an excellent and comprehensive one, was received at private schools. For some time he was then associated with his father in the manufacturing line, but finan- cial and public matters soon claimed the greater part of his time and attention. He was elected a director of the National State Bank, April 6, 1846. and filled this office elated by success, but his efforts were de-
many years. The management and success of many of these institutions and public af- fairs is directly traceable to the wise coun- sel and sound judgment of Mr. Ward.
During his earlier years his political as- sociations were with the Whig party, but he soon recognized the necessity for a stronger power to control the increasing power of the South. Fremont and Dayton were supported by him in the presidential campaign of 1856, but it was not until two years later that he devoted himself seriously to politics. In 1858 he was called to Kansas by the contest there between slavery and freedom, and while there his eyes became fully opened to the magnitude of the strug- gle then going on there. His counsel and liberal financial assistance were given to the Free State party and, when he returned to New Jersey, he aroused public attention to the issue at stake. At a time when party spirit was thoroughly aroused, and when constant misrepresentations sought to con- fuse the public mind, his clear and unan- swerable statements of facts were received with the confidence which his character al- ways inspired. He was deeply interested in the political contest of the ensuing au- tumn, and none rejoiced more sincerely over the result in New Jersey, which secured a United States Senator and an unbroken del- egation in the House of Representatives against the Lecompton fraud.
The growing political influence began to be acknowledged in 1860, and lie was unani- mously chosen a delegate to the Republican National Convention, whose deliberations resulted in the nomination of Abraham Lin- coln. In the contest which ensued he bore his full part, and neither challenged nor sought to avoid the consequences of that success. When the signal was given for that revolt which had long been preparing in the Southern States, it found him ready for any services or sacrifices which were necessary to - defend the right. He was neither discouraged by defeats nor unduly
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sted. to the suppression of the Rebellion and the preservation of the Union. At the outbreak of hostilities he led in a call for a public meeting to sustain the government. As the struggle increased in importance and drew into the ranks of the patriot army reg- ment after regiment of the troops of New Jersey, Governor Ward saw the necessity of sustaining the families of the volunteers during their absence. Alone and unaided, he devised and carried out that system of relief the advantages of which were felt in every county in the State. The pay of the volun- teer was collected at the camp and passed over to the wife and children at home; if killed or wounded, the pension was se- cured; and this continued until after the close of the war, without a charge of any nature upon these sacred funds. Hun- dreds and thousands of families were pre- served from want and suffering by this wise and considerate scheme, and of all the means devised to sustain the State in its patriotic efforts to assist those deprived of their natural protectors and supporters, none were more potent than this. But his active efforts did not terminate here. It was through his instrumentality and influence with the general government that a hospital for sick and wounded soldiers was estab- lished in Newark, and in view of his loyal action his name was bestowed upon it, and Ward's United States Hospital became known as one of the best controlled insti- tuitions of its kind in the country. His san- itary arrangements were fully appreciated by those most competent to judge.
In 1862 the Republicans of his State were so strongly impressed by the value of the services he had rendered, that he was unanimously nominated for the office of Governor, but the loyal soldiers of the State were in the field, and the deep depression of the time was the cause of his defeat. His unswerving loyalty was not affected by this defeat, neither did he permit it to influ- ence him to the extent of abating his con- stant and unwearied labors for the right.
In 1864 he was a delegate at large to the Republican National Convention at Balti- more which renominated President Lin- coln.
In 1865 Mr. Ward was again nominated by the Republican party for the office of Governor, and was elected by a large ma- jority after an unusually exciting contest. His administration was in all respects one of the best which the State has ever known. Not only was his mental attitude one of simplicity and impartiality, but his actual contact with everyone was based upon that belief in human brotherhood, so frequently unheeded, that made him an ideal Govern- or. Rich and poor were alike dealt with by him on a plane of simple equality, and with a dignity and courtesy that was only the outward aspect of great firmness, courage and a far-reaching progressiveness. Every department of the public service, as far as his influence could reach it, was economic- ally and faithfully administered. The laws passed by the Legislature were carefully scanned, and pardons for criminal offenses were granted only when mercy could be safely united with justice. His appoint- ments to office were widely approved, and to his administration New Jersey is deeply indebted for many important measures af- fecting the interests of the State. The present public school act was passed upon his strong and urgent representations, and its advantages have been felt in the in- creased educational facilities of the State and the more thorough character of its schools. The riparian rights of the State were called by him to the attention of the Legislature, and a commission secured, through which its large and valuable inter- ests have been protected. His constant and persistent representations to the Legislature, in his various messages, of the mismanage- ment of the State Prison, under both polit- ical parties, contributed largely to the pass- age of an act removing it, as far as pos- sible, from partisan government. and the re- sult has been large savings to the State.
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