Joseph Bloomfield

Joseph Bloomfield (born October 18, 1753 in Woodbridge , Province of New Jersey , † October 3, 1823 in Burlington , New Jersey ) was an American politician and from 1801 to 1802 and between 1803 and 1812 governor of the state of New Jersey. Between 1817 and 1821 he represented his state in the US House of Representatives in Washington .

Early years and political advancement

Joseph Bloomfield attended Reverend Enoch Green's School in Deerfield , New Jersey. After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1775. Then he began to work in Bridgeton in his new profession. During the War of Independence , he fought in the ranks of his American compatriots and rose to major and military prosecutor in the Northern Army. Bloomfield took part in several battles, in which he was also wounded. On October 28, 1778, he then resigned from military service.

Originally supported Bloomfield the Federalist Party of Alexander Hamilton . After the end of his military service, he worked as a lawyer in Burlington. Between 1779 and 1783 he was also registrar at the Admiralty Court . From 1783 to 1792 he was Attorney General of New Jersey. In addition, he was from 1793 to 1801 curator of Princeton College , the later Princeton University . Bloomfield was also a senior member of his state's militia. In this capacity he was a member of a military mission to put down the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794 . Towards the end of the 1790s to Bloomfield turned away from the Federalists and was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party of Thomas Jefferson . In his new party, however, his political past with the federalists hung after him for a long time.

Governor of New Jersey

In 1801, Bloomfield was elected the new governor by his state's legislature. General popular gubernatorial elections were not held in New Jersey until the state constitution was reformed in 1844. At that time, the governor's term of office was limited to one year. Since he was not re-elected in 1802 because of a legislative stalemate, he had to give up his post for a year. Between 1802 and 1812 he was re-elected annually, so that he could remain in office between October 31, 1801 and October 29, 1812 with the one-year break mentioned.

Bloomfield was an opponent of slavery and supported a bill for the gradual emancipation of slaves ( Gradual Emancipation Act ). In addition, the militia was restructured during his tenure. His final years as governor were overshadowed by the tension leading up to the British-American War of 1812 . New Jersey's economy suffered severely from the trade embargo.

General and Congressman

Bloomfield then became a Brigadier General in the US Army . In this capacity he took part in the war against Great Britain that was now breaking out. He held this post until 1815. In 1816 and 1818 he was elected as a member of Congress . There he represented the interests of his state between March 4, 1817 and March 3, 1821. In 1820 he was not re-elected. Joseph Bloomfield died in 1823. He was married twice.

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personal data
SURNAME	Bloomfield, Joseph
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	October 18, 1753
PLACE OF BIRTH	Woodbridge , New Jersey
DATE OF DEATH	October 3, 1823
Place of death	Burlington , New Jersey