Aaron Ogden
Encyclopedia
Aaron Ogden was a United States Senator
and the 5th Governor
of New Jersey
.
(formerly Elizabethtown). He graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University
) in 1773, and served as a grammar school tutor from 1773 to 1775.
In the American Revolutionary War
, Ogden was appointed a lieutenant in the 1st New Jersey Regiment
; his older brother Matthias Ogden
was the lieutenant colonel. Aaron Ogden served in various roles through the war, seeing action and rising to the rank of brigade major. In 1778, he visited the house also occupied by the family of diarist Sally Wister
, who described him as "a genteel young fellow, with an aquiline nose."
He was wounded at the siege of Yorktown
in 1781.
. He was clerk of Essex County
from 1785–1803, and was elected as a Federalist
to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James Schureman
and served from February 28, 1801, to March 4, 1803. He lost his bid for reelection to the Senate in 1802. In 1803, Ogden was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly
, where he served until 1812. Ogden was elected trustee of the College of New Jersey (later to become Princeton University
) in 1803, a post in which he served until his death. Ogden was elected as Governor of New Jersey
in 1812.
Ogden was nominated by President James Madison
as major general of the Army in 1813, but declined the appointment. He became engaged in steamboat navigation in 1813, and was a defendant in the Gibbons v. Ogden
case that denied New York
State's attempted monopoly on steamboat operation between New York and New Jersey. Ogden moved to Jersey City
in 1829 and resumed the practice of law. In 1830, he was appointed as collector of customs and served until his death in Jersey City. Ogden's body is interred at the First Presbyterian Church Burial Ground in Elizabeth.
served as an associate justice
of the New Jersey Supreme Court
from 1842 until his death in 1865. His grandson, Frederick B. Ogden
served as Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey from 1865 to 1867. Ogden's nephew Daniel Haines
later also served on two separate occasions as Governor of New Jersey.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
and the 5th Governor
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
Early life
Ogden was born in Elizabeth, New JerseyElizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth largest city with an increase of 4,401 residents from its 2000 Census population of 120,568...
(formerly Elizabethtown). He graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
) in 1773, and served as a grammar school tutor from 1773 to 1775.
In the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, Ogden was appointed a lieutenant in the 1st New Jersey Regiment
1st New Jersey Regiment
The 1st New Jersey Regiment was the first organized militia regiment in New Jersey, formed in 1673 in Piscataway "to repel foreign Indians who come down from upper Pennsylvania and western New York to our shores and fill with fishes and clams and on the way back make a general nuisance of...
; his older brother Matthias Ogden
Matthias Ogden
Matthias Ogden was born at Elizabeth, New Jersey on October 22, 1754, Fought in the American revolutionary war and served various political positions afterwards.-Family:...
was the lieutenant colonel. Aaron Ogden served in various roles through the war, seeing action and rising to the rank of brigade major. In 1778, he visited the house also occupied by the family of diarist Sally Wister
Sally Wister
Sarah Wister was a girl living in Pennsylvania during the American Revolution. She is principally known as the author of Sally Wister's Journal, a first-hand account of life in the nearby countryside during the British occupation of Philadelphia in 1777–78, when she was sixteen.-Family and early...
, who described him as "a genteel young fellow, with an aquiline nose."
He was wounded at the siege of Yorktown
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Yorktown, or Surrender of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis...
in 1781.
Political career
After the war, Ogden studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1784. He commenced practice in Elizabeth. He served as a presidential elector in the 1796 electoral college that elected John AdamsJohn Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
. He was clerk of Essex County
Essex County, New Jersey
Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 783,969, ranking it third in the state after Bergen County and Middlesex County; Essex County's population has declined from 786,147 as of the bureau's...
from 1785–1803, and was elected as a Federalist
Federalist Party (United States)
The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...
to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James Schureman
James Schureman
James Schureman was an American merchant and statesman from New Brunswick, New Jersey. He represented New Jersey in the Continental Congress as well as the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate....
and served from February 28, 1801, to March 4, 1803. He lost his bid for reelection to the Senate in 1802. In 1803, Ogden was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
, where he served until 1812. Ogden was elected trustee of the College of New Jersey (later to become Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
) in 1803, a post in which he served until his death. Ogden was elected as Governor of New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
in 1812.
Ogden was nominated by President James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
as major general of the Army in 1813, but declined the appointment. He became engaged in steamboat navigation in 1813, and was a defendant in the Gibbons v. Ogden
Gibbons v. Ogden
Gibbons v. Ogden, 22 U.S. 1 , was a landmark decision in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that the power to regulate interstate commerce was granted to Congress by the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution. The case was argued by some of America's most admired and...
case that denied New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
State's attempted monopoly on steamboat operation between New York and New Jersey. Ogden moved to Jersey City
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
in 1829 and resumed the practice of law. In 1830, he was appointed as collector of customs and served until his death in Jersey City. Ogden's body is interred at the First Presbyterian Church Burial Ground in Elizabeth.
Family
Ogden's son, Elias B. D. OgdenElias B. D. Ogden
Elias B. Dayton Ogden was an American attorney and jurist who served three terms as an associate justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1848 until his death in 1865. He was the son of New Jersey Governor Aaron Ogden. Ogden graduated from Princeton College in 1819. He was admitted to the bar...
served as an associate justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...
of the New Jersey Supreme Court
New Jersey Supreme Court
The New Jersey Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It has existed in three different forms under the three different state constitutions since the independence of the state in 1776...
from 1842 until his death in 1865. His grandson, Frederick B. Ogden
Frederick B. Ogden
Frederick Beasley Ogden was an American attorney, jurist, and politician who served as the eighth mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey from 1865-1867. He was the grandson of United States Senator and New Jersey Governor Aaron Ogden and the son of New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Elias B. D. Ogden...
served as Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey from 1865 to 1867. Ogden's nephew Daniel Haines
Daniel Haines
Daniel Haines was an American jurist who served as the 14th Governor of New Jersey.Daniel Haines was born in New York City, the nephew of Governor Aaron Ogden. He graduated from The College of New Jersey in 1820, and went on to practice law in Newton and Hamburg...
later also served on two separate occasions as Governor of New Jersey.
External links
Retrieved on 2009-02-26- Biography of Aaron Ogden (PDF), New Jersey State LibraryNew Jersey State LibraryThe New Jersey State Library, based in Trenton, New Jersey, was established in 1796 to serve the information needs of New Jersey's Governor, Legislature and courts. The State Library is also responsible to assist in the provision of library and information services to all New Jersey...
- New Jersey Governor Aaron Ogden, National Governors AssociationNational Governors AssociationThe National Governors Association , founded in 1908 as the National Governors' Conference, is funded primarily by state dues, federal grants and contracts and private contributions. NGA represents the governors of the fifty U.S. states and five U.S. territories The National Governors Association...
- Dead Governors of New Jersey bio for Aaron Ogden