Richard Stockton (politician, 1730)

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Richard Stockton, statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection .signature

Richard Stockton (born October 1, 1730 in Morven in Princeton , New Jersey Province , United Kingdom ; † February 28, 1781 ibid) was a British-American lawyer, member of the legislature and is considered to be one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence Founding Fathers of the United States .

Life

Childhood and youth

The son of John Stockton (1674-1758) attended Samuel Finley's Academy in Cecil County ( Maryland ), which later became the West Nottingham Academy and then a college of Princeton University . He graduated from the academy in 1748. He then studied law with David Ogden from Newark , who was the most important lawyer in the province at the time. Stockton was admitted to the bar in 1754 and soon rose to prominence. He was a long-time friend of George Washington . His wife was the poet Annis Boudinot Stockton, a sister of the New Jersey statesman Elias Boudinot . The Stocktons had six children, and their son Richard Stockton became a noted lawyer and prominent leader of the Federalists . In addition, Elias Boudinot was married to Stockton's sister Hannah Stockton (1736-1808).

Stockton initially showed little interest in politics. He once wrote: "The general public is ungrateful, and I will never become their servant until I am convinced that by neglecting my own affairs I am doing better service to God and humanity." Stockton then took an active role as New Jersey College Trustee.

Political career

1768 Stockton had his first contact with a government office when he was elected to the ruling council ("governing council") of New Jersey; later (1774) he was elected to the New Jersey Supreme Court . He initially took a moderate stance on the difficulties between the colonies and the Kingdom of Great Britain . He did not favor separation; rather he proposed in 1764 that some members of the colonies should be appointed to the British Parliament . However, he changed his position a year later when the stamp law controversy arose. In 1774 he drafted "a plan for self-government for America, independent of Parliament, without renouncing loyalty to the 'Crown'" and sent it to Lord Dartmouth . However, the Commonwealth approach was not acceptable to the king.

Stockton worked as a trustee at the college, later Princeton University . In 1766 and 1767 he gave up his activity in favor of a trip to England, Scotland and Ireland. While in Scotland, his personal efforts resulted in the appointment of Reverend John Witherspoon as president of the colleges. Witherspoon's wife was against her husband accepting the position, but her objection was overcome with the help of her son-in-law Benjamin Rush , who was a medical student in Edinburgh. It was a very important event in the history of higher education in America.

Stockton returned to America and was promoted to the Supreme Court of New Jersey the following year, 1768, on the provincial executive council and in 1774.

American War of Independence

In 1776 Stockton was elected to the Continental Congress, where he played a very active role. That August, when the elections for the state governors of the new nations were held, Stockton and William Livingston each received an equal number of votes for the governor of New Jersey in the first round. Although Livingston later won the election with one vote, Stockton was unanimously elected to the office of Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court , but he turned down to stay in Congress.

Stockton, along with co-signatory George Clymer , was tasked with a grueling two-month trip to Fort Ticonderoga , Saratoga, and Albany to aid the Continental Army . On his return to Princeton, he traveled 30 miles east to a friend's home to get his family to safety and out of the British Army's route . While there, he was captured by his own loyalist compatriots on November 30, 1776, in the middle of the night. Shortly before Stockton was captured, the British General William Howe had offered an amnesty for those willing to turn away from the American "rebellion" and show their loyalty to George III. to renew. Although many accepted the offer of amnesty, Stockton did not and was marched to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, where he was put in irons and brutalized as an ordinary criminal. He was then transferred to Provost Prison in New York, where he, along with other prisoners, suffered from food shortages and freezing weather.

Stockton's release from captivity

After six weeks of brutal treatment, Stockton was released - with ruined health.

The circumstances of Stockton's release from prison remain unclear, but there is a testimony stating that he may have pledged allegiance to the king. John Witherspoon wrote to his son David in March 1777 that Stockton had "signed Howe's Declaration and given his word of honor not to take the slightest part in American activities during the war."

Congressman Abraham Clark wrote to John Hart about vacancies in New Jersey's delegation to the Continental Congress, saying that Stockton had done something that would have made him unsuitable for further use in Congress: "Mr. Sergeant spoke of resignation and there is nothing Mr. Stockton can do after his last actions. "

Stockton's treatment in New York Prison prompted the Continental Congress to pass a resolution instructing George Washington to investigate the circumstances, and a little later on January 3, 1777, Stockton was replaced. The US National Archives hold other records showing that Washington duly contacted British Commanding General Sir William Howe in New York regarding the exchange or release of Stockton and others.

His country estate, Morven , Princeton, New Jersey , had been confiscated by General Charles Cornwallis during Stockton's imprisonment ; his furniture, all his household items, his supplies and his livestock had been stolen or destroyed by the British. His library, one of the best in the colonies, was burned.

Co-signer Benjamin Rush wrote in his autobiography: “At Princeton I met my wife's father, whose entire household and supplies had been looted by the British Army and who was imprisoned in New York, where he was given his word on his honor Family. "

John Sanderson and RW Pomeroy wrote in 1823: “After Mr. Stockton's dismissal, his constitution was so badly compromised that he was never again able to render significant service to his country except for occasional advice and assistance. In fact, in the few remaining years of his life he could never fully restore his health. "

In December 1777, Stockton swore again an oath of allegiance to the United States.

Age and Legacy

Stockton and his wife had six children, four daughters and two sons: Julie Stockton (married to Benjamin Rush , co-signer of the United States Declaration of Independence), Mary, Susan, Richard , Lucius, and Abigail.

Stockton died on his family estate in Princeton and was buried in the Stony Brook Quaker Meeting House cemetery in Princeton.

Stockton's eldest son Richard was a well-known attorney and later sat for New Jersey in the US Senate . His son Robert was a hero of the British-American War of 1812 , became the first military governor of California in 1846 and later became the US senator for New Jersey. His son John , Richard Stockton's great-grandson, was also a member of the Senate.

In 1888, the State of New Jersey donated a marble statue of Stockton to the National Statuary Hall Collection of the U.S. Capitol . He is one of only six signatories of the US Declaration of Independence to be honored here.

In 1969, the New Jersey Legislature passed law to create a state college named after Stockton in honor of the memory of New Jersey's signatories of the United States' Declaration of Independence. " Richard Stockton College of New Jersey " is the current name of this educational institution, which was previously known as "Stockton State College" and "Richard State College".

Remarks

  1. ↑ Lord Dartmouth was Secretary of State for the Colonies at the time
  2. ↑ The Howe Brothers and the American Revolution, Ira D. Gruber, WS Norton and Company, Inc., 1972, p. 195: “British officers and the rebels agreed that the November 30th proclamation was a mistake. Most of the 4,836 colonists who took advantage of the proclamation had already done so in Trenton when the British troops were celebrating their greatest success; NEVER, however, HAD A REBEL LEADER ASKED FOR PARDON. ”Jan. 18, 21, 22, 29, Feb. 7, 1777, Tatum, ed., Jour. of Serle, pp. 176-177, 178-179, 180, 186: John Shuttleworth to (Walter Spencer) Stanhope, June 29, (ie Jan. 29) 1777, Sterling, Annals of a Yorkshire House, II, Dec. : Henry Laurens to John Laurens, Feb. 3, 1777, CO5 / 40; the Howes to Germain, March 25, 1777 and (attached) signed declarations as a result of the proclamation November 30, 1777, CO 5/177.
  3. ↑ While over 12,000 prisoners died in the prison ships and prisons in New York, 4,435 soldiers died in combat during the six-year war.
  4. ↑ "I was in Princeton from Saturday ... to Wednesday ... Judge Stockton is not in good health & a lot has been said about his behavior. He signed the Howes Declaration & also gave his word of honor that he would not participate in the American activities during the war in the least. Mrs. Cochran was sent to enemy lines with a parliamentary flag and when Mr. Cochran came out to meet his wife, he told the officers who came with the flag that Judge Stockton had brought evidence to General Howe that he was up had been on his way to take refuge with him when he was captured. He denied it, but to be honest, many believe it, but Mr. Cochran's known arguments with him make it very dubious for any honorable person. ” Letter from John Witherspoon to David Witherspoon
  5. ↑ Article in the “American Heritage Magazine” about Stockton ( Memento of the original from February 12, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.americanheritage.com
  6. ↑ Biography of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Volume III, John Sanderson, RW Pomeroy, 1823, p. 103
  7. ↑ Summaries of the Security Protocols Council, New Jersey State, 1777–1779, p. 70: Dec. 22, 1777, “Richard Stockton Esq. was called before the council and took his oath and was dismissed. "

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personal data
SURNAME Stockton, Richard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British-American lawyer, one of the founding fathers of the United States
DATE OF BIRTH October 1, 1730
PLACE OF BIRTH Morven , Princeton , New Jersey Province , UK
DATE OF DEATH February 28, 1781
Place of death Morven , Princeton , New Jersey Province , UK