Thomas Preston Carpenter, born April 19, 1804, died March 20, 1876, was an eminent lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 and judge

Judge

A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...

 of the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Personal

Carpenter was born at Glassboro, Gloucester County, New Jersey

Gloucester County, New Jersey

Gloucester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 288,288. Its county seat is Woodbury....

, where his father Edward Carpenter operated a glassworks

Glassworks

Glassworks is a chamber music work of six movements by Philip Glass. It is regarded as being a characteristically Glass-like work. Following his larger-scale concert and stage works, Glassworks was Philip Glass's successful attempt to create a more pop-oriented "Walkman-suitable" work, with...

. He was descendant of Samuel Carpenter

Samuel Carpenter

Samuel Carpenter was a Deputy Governor of colonial Pennsylvania. He signed the historic document "The Declaration of Fealty, Christian Belief and Test" dated 10 September 1695; the original is in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania...

, Thomas Lloyd

Thomas Lloyd (lieutenant governor)

Thomas Lloyd was a lieutenant-governor of provincial Pennsylvania.He was born in Dolobran, Montgomeryshire, Wales, and subsequently educated at Ruthin School. He studied law and medicine at Jesus College, Oxford, from which he was graduated in 1661...

, and Samuel Preston

Samuel Preston (mayor)

Samuel Preston was a jurist, merchant, and mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.He was brought up as a Quaker...

, prominent men in the early days of Pennsylvania. His father dying when he was quite young, Thomas Preston Carpenter spent his early life with his grandfather, at Carpenter's Landing

Carpenter's Landing, New Jersey

Carpenter's Landing in Gloucester County, New Jersey, is a 17th-century mercantile settlement located at the head of sloop navigation on Mantua Creek. In the 1860s, it was described as "a place of considerable trade in lumber, cordwood, etc., and contains one tavern, two stores, 30 dwellings and a...

 (now Mantua

Mantua Township, New Jersey

Mantua Township is a township in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 14,217....

). He married on November 27, 1839 to Rebecca Hopkins of Woodbury, New Jersey

Woodbury, New Jersey

Woodbury is a city in Gloucester County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, 10,307 residents were counted. Woodbury is the county seat of Gloucester County....

. They were the parents of four children. He was an active member of the Protestant Episcopal Church, serving as vestryman

Vestryman

A vestryman is a member of his local church's vestry, or leading body. He is not a member of the clergy.In England especially, but also in other parts of The United Kingdom, Parish Councils have long been a level of local government rather than being solely ecclesiastical in nature...

, warden

Churchwarden

A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...

, and deputy to the diocesan and general conventions. He died at his home in Camden, New Jersey

Camden, New Jersey

The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...

 on March 20, 1876.

Career

After receiving a liberal education, Carpenter studied law with Judge John Moore White of Woodbury, New Jersey

Woodbury, New Jersey

Woodbury is a city in Gloucester County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, 10,307 residents were counted. Woodbury is the county seat of Gloucester County....

, and was admitted as an attorney

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 in September 1830. On October 26, 1838, he was appointed prosecutor of pleas of Gloucester County, New Jersey

Gloucester County, New Jersey

Gloucester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 288,288. Its county seat is Woodbury....

 and took a prominent part in several important trial

Trial

A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...

s. In 1845, he was appointed by Governor Charles C. Stratton

Charles C. Stratton

Charles Creighton Stratton was a politician from New Jersey, who served in the United States House of Representatives and was later the 15th Governor of New Jersey.-Biography:...

 one of the associate judges of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, his circuit comprising Burlington

Burlington County, New Jersey

There were 154,371 households out of which 34.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had...

, Camden

Camden County, New Jersey

-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census the population of Camden County was 60.28% Non-Hispanic white, 18.45% Non-Hispanic black, 1.12% Hispanic blacks, 0.17% Non-Hispanic Native American, 0.15% Hispanic Native Americans, 5.07% Non-Hispanic Asian, and 0.14% non-Hispanics reporting some other race...

, and Gloucester

Gloucester County, New Jersey

Gloucester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 288,288. Its county seat is Woodbury....

 Counties. At his retirement from the judgeship he devoted himself to the practice of law, principally as a counselor, and was eminently successful. At the breaking out of the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, he joined the Union League

Union League

A Union League is one of a number of organizations established starting in 1862, during the American Civil War to promote loyalty to the Union and the policies of Abraham Lincoln. They were also known as Loyal Leagues. They comprised upper middle class men who supported efforts such as the United...

of Philadelphia, and gave his entire sympathies to the Union cause. In church, at the bar, and in society Judge Carpenter was one of the most prominent men of his native State.