Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 10.djvu/49

 STOCKTON

STOCKTON

1857-61. He was elected U.S. senator from New Jersey in 1865, by a plurality of the legislature ; took his seat, March 4, 1866, but was unseated, March 27, by a vote of twenty-three to twenty-one, on receipt of a protest from several members of the state legislature, notwitlistanding the unan- imous report of the committee on the judiciary in favor of the validity of his election. He was again elected to tlie U.S. senate in 1869, and served the full term expiring, March 3, 1875. He was a member of the committee on foreign affairs, the navy, appropriation, patents, and public buildings and goods, and was instrumental in first establishing life-saving stations on the Atlantic coast. He was attorney-general of New Jersey, 1877-92 ; and a delegate-at-large to all the Democratic national conventions from 1864 to the •close of his life. In the convention at Chicago, Aug. 29, 1864, as chairman of the New Jersey delegation, he presented the name of George B. IMcClellan as the candidate of the state for Pres- ident of the United States. He was also a delegate to the Constitutional Union convention at Phila- delphia in 1866. He received the honorary degree of LL.D. from the College of New Jersey in 1882. He is the author of Equity Reports (3 vols. 1856- 60). He died in New York city, Jan. 22, 1900.

STOCKTON, Louise, author and journalist, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., Aug. 12, 1838; daughter of William Smith (q.v.) and Emily Hepzibeth (Drean) Stockton. She was educated at home, began to write as a child, and was en- gaged as editorial writer, book and music editor (1867-71) upon the Philadelphia Pos^. She edited the ''Woman's Edition" of the Philadelphia Press, Nov. 27. 1875 ; in 1876 was one of the editors of The New Century for Wovien, a Cen- tennial newspaper published on the exposition grounds at Philadelphia ; in 1878 was leader- writer for J. W. Forney's Progress ; had charge of the "Reading Club " department in Scribner's Book Buyer, 1896-97 ; and was subsequently as- sociated with various leading journals as editorial writer, book editor and music critic. She was president of the West Philadelphia Centre Uni- versity Extension, 1894-97 ; originator and presi- dent of the Round Robin Reading clubs, a na- tional correspondence organization, and a founder of the New Century club, the Browning society and the Contemporary clubs. She is the author of Dorothea, a novel (1882) ; A Sylvan City (1883) ; republished as Quaint Corners ; Apple Seed and Briar TJiorn (1887), and of several novelettes, many short stories and historical essays in magazines. She was residing in Phila- delphia, Pa., in 1903.

STOCKTON, Richard, signer, was born at " Morven," near Princeton. Somerset covmty, N. J., Oct. 1, 1730 ; son of John (died, 1757) ; grandson of

Richard (died, 1720), and great-grandson of Rich- ard Stockton, who immigrated to the United States previous to 1670 ; settled in Long Island, N.Y., and in 1682 was one of the first founders of the settlement near Princeton, N.J., where he died in 1705. John Stockton was chief- judge of the com-t of common pleas of Som- erset County, N.J., for several years. Richard Stockton studied under the Rev, Dr. Samuel Fin- ley ; attended West Not- tingham academy ; was graduated in the first class from the College of New Jersey, A.B., 1748 ; A.M., 1751 ; studied law under Judge David Og- den of Newark, N.J, ; was admitted to the bar in August, 1754 ; became counsellor in 1758, and entered into practice in iKicharp stock roif» Princeton, During his visit to England and Scot- land, 1866-67, he was influential in persuading Dr, John Witherspoon to withdraw his declination of the presidency of the College of New Jersey, for which service he was ofl^cially thanked by the trustees of the college. He was a member of the provincial council of New Jersey, 1768-74 ; made judge of the provincial supreme-court in 1774 ; a delegate to the Continental congress at Phila- delphia. Pa., 1776-77, signing the Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776 ; was defeated by William Livingston, as candidate for governor of New Jersey, in September, 1776, and was subse- quently elected chief-justice, which honor he declined. During his service as inspector of the Northern army he was made prisoner by the loyalists, Nov. 30, 1776 ; confined in the common prison of New York city, and although exchanged not long after, through the intercession of con- gress, was unable to entirely recover from the effects of the ill treatment which he had re- ceived. Meanwhile his own estate, including his valuable library, had been destroyed by the British, and in consequence of the currency depreciation he was obliged for a time to be de- pendent upon the assistance of his fi-iends. He was a trustee of the College of New Jersey, 1757-81, serving as secretary of the board, 1757- 65, and receiving the degree of sergeant-at-law in 1763. He was married to Annis, daughter of Elias and Catherine (Williams) Boudinot, and sister of Dr. Elias Boudinot (q.v.). She is the author of a poem addressed to General Washing- ton after the surrender of Yorktown, and of