John Stevens (New Jersey)
Encyclopedia
John Stevens was a prominent politician from New Jersey
who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress
in 1783.
The son of John Stevens
and his wife Ann Campbell, he was born either in 1715 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey
or on October 21, 1716 in New York City
when his mother was visiting there.
With his brother Richard, he owned mercantile vessels and commanded them on voyages to Madeira
and the Caribbean
between 1739 and 1743. He then settled in Perth Amboy, where he was a vestryman at St. Peter's Church from 1749 to 1752. He was a large landowner in the New Jersey counties of Hunterdon
, Union
, and Somerset
, and he owned a copper mine at Rocky Hill
that was later abandoned.
Stevens was a member of the general colonial assembly in 1751. He served as paymaster of the 1st New Jersey Regiment
(the "Jersey Blues") under Colonel Peter Schuyler (New Jersey)
from 1756 to 1760. In 1758 he was appointed by the Assembly of New Jersey to serve as a commissioner to the state's Indian tribes. In 1762 he was named a member of the King's Council for New Jersey, a position that he resigned in 1770.
Stevens was a vocal opponent of the Stamp Act
. When the act went into effect in 1765, he was one of a committee of four (with Robert Livingston, John Cruger
, and Beverly Robinson) to prevent the issue of stamps in New York City
. In 1770 he was appointed a commissioner, along with Walter Rutherfurd, to establish the partition line between New York and New Jersey.
In 1776, after the Provincial Congress had become the New Jersey Legislature
under the state's first Constitution, Stevens was elected Vice-President of Council
of New Jersey, holding the office of chairman of the joint meetings of the legislature until 1782. He represented Hunterdon County
in the legislature during that period. He was president of the convention of New Jersey when the state ratified the United States Constitution
on December 18, 1787.
He married Elizabeth Alexander, daughter of James Alexander
, Surveyor General
of New Jersey and New York and counsel for Peter Zenger, in 1748. They had two children:
His later years were spent with his son, Colonel John Stevens, at Hoboken
, where he died in May 1792. He was buried at the Frame Meeting House in Bethlehem Township
, Hunterdon County, 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...
who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
in 1783.
The son of John Stevens
John Stevens (immigrant)
John Stevens , who immigrated to America at age 17, invested in land, married the wealthy Ann Campbell, and became Port Collector at Perth Amboy. He was one of the thirteen original patentees of the Kayaderosseras tract, near Lake George, New York....
and his wife Ann Campbell, he was born either in 1715 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The City of Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 50,814. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay", referring to Raritan Bay.-Name:The Lenape...
or on October 21, 1716 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
when his mother was visiting there.
With his brother Richard, he owned mercantile vessels and commanded them on voyages to Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
between 1739 and 1743. He then settled in Perth Amboy, where he was a vestryman at St. Peter's Church from 1749 to 1752. He was a large landowner in the New Jersey counties of Hunterdon
Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 128,349. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Flemington....
, Union
Union County, New Jersey
Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 536,499. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Elizabeth. Union County ranks 93rd among the highest-income counties in the United States. It also ranks 74th in...
, and Somerset
Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....
, and he owned a copper mine at Rocky Hill
Rocky Hill, New Jersey
Rocky Hill is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, named for the Rocky Hill Ridge. It was earlier known as the Devil's Featherbed because it was difficult to travel the rocky terrain by horse and wagon...
that was later abandoned.
Stevens was a member of the general colonial assembly in 1751. He served as paymaster of 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...
(the "Jersey Blues") under Colonel Peter Schuyler (New Jersey)
Peter Schuyler (New Jersey)
Peter Schuyler was a wealthy Dutch farmer from New Barbadoes Neck , New Jersey.Schuyler was descended from Arent Schuyler of Rensselaerswyck, now , New York. His father purchased a large tract of land along the shores of the Passaic River where large amounts of copper were discovered and mined...
from 1756 to 1760. In 1758 he was appointed by the Assembly of New Jersey to serve as a commissioner to the state's Indian tribes. In 1762 he was named a member of the King's Council for New Jersey, a position that he resigned in 1770.
Stevens was a vocal opponent of the Stamp Act
Stamp Act 1765
The Stamp Act 1765 was a direct tax imposed by the British Parliament specifically on the colonies of British America. The act required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp...
. When the act went into effect in 1765, he was one of a committee of four (with Robert Livingston, John Cruger
John Cruger, Jr.
John Cruger, Jr. was the speaker of the Province of New York assembly and the Mayor of New York City.He was born July 18, 1710 the son of John Cruger and Maria Cuyler....
, and Beverly Robinson) to prevent the issue of stamps in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In 1770 he was appointed a commissioner, along with Walter Rutherfurd, to establish the partition line between New York and New Jersey.
In 1776, after the Provincial Congress had become the New Jersey Legislature
New Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...
under the state's first Constitution, Stevens was elected Vice-President of Council
Vice-President of Council
The Vice-President of Council of the New Jersey Legislature would succeed the Governor if a vacancy occurred in that office.-List of past Vice-Presidents of Council:...
of New Jersey, holding the office of chairman of the joint meetings of the legislature until 1782. He represented Hunterdon County
Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 128,349. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Flemington....
in the legislature during that period. He was president of the convention of New Jersey when the state ratified the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
on December 18, 1787.
He married Elizabeth Alexander, daughter of James Alexander
James Alexander (lawyer)
James Alexander was a lawyer and statesman in colonial New York. He served in the Colonial Assembly and as Attorney General of the colony in 1721-1723. His son William was later a Major General in the Continental Army during the American revolution...
, Surveyor General
Surveyor General
The Surveyor General is an official responsible for government surveying in a specific country or territory. Originally this would often have been a military appointment, but is now more likely to be a civilian post....
of New Jersey and New York and counsel for Peter Zenger, in 1748. They had two children:
- John StevensJohn Stevens (inventor)Col. John Stevens, III was an American lawyer, engineer and an inventor.-Life and career:Born the son of John Stevens , a prominent New Jersey politician who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress, and Elizabeth Alexander, daughter of New York lawyer and statesman James Alexander. His...
(1749-1838) - Mary Stevens (d. 1814), who married Robert R. Livingston, Jr.Robert Livingston (1746-1813)Robert R Livingston was an American lawyer, politician, diplomat from New York, and a Founding Father of the United States. He was known as "The Chancellor," after the office he held for 25 years....
, negotiator of the Louisiana PurchaseLouisiana PurchaseThe Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
.
His later years were spent with his son, Colonel John Stevens, at Hoboken
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
, where he died in May 1792. He was buried at the Frame Meeting House in Bethlehem Township
Bethlehem Township, New Jersey
Bethlehem Township falls under the 'Northern New Jersey' climate zone. According to the Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist at Rutgers University, the Northern climate zone covers about one-quarter of New Jersey and consists mainly of elevated highlands and valleys which are part of the...
, Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 128,349. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Flemington....
.
External links
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States CongressBiographical Directory of the United States CongressThe Biographical Directory of the United States Congress is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress as well as its predecessor, the Continental Congress...