John De Hart (July 25, 1727 – June 1, 1795) was an American lawyer, jurist, and statesman from Elizabeth, New Jersey. He represented

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1774 and 1775 and signed the

Continental Association The Continental Association, also known as the Articles of Association or simply the Association, was an agreement among the American colonies adopted by the First Continental Congress on October 20, 1774. It called for a trade boycott against ...

Biography

De Hart was born at Elizabethtown to Jacob De Hart (1699–1777) and Abigail (Crane) De Hart. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1770. He married Sarah Dagworthy, and they had eight children (John, Jacob, Matthias, Stephen, Sarah, Abigail, Jane, and Louisa). In 1774 he was named as a delegate to the First Continental Congress. While he supported the non-importation agreement and the first

petition to the King The Petition to the King was a petition sent to King George III by the First Continental Congress in 1774, calling for repeal of the Intolerable Acts. Political background Following the end of the French and Indian War (the North American th ...

, he was in favor of reconciliation. He was returned to the Second Congress in 1775, but as differences with

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

became more pronounced, the Congress began to adopt a harder line. Finally, on November 13, 1775, he wrote his resignation to the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

, and they accepted it on November 22. In 1776, New Jersey began crafting an independent government. De Hart attended the convention and served on the committee that drafted the New Jersey State Constitution in June. He was appointed to serve on the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging th ...

on September 4, 1776, but also made a living practicing law. Governor William Livingston replaced him in February 1777 for failing to attend court sessions. De Hart's last act of public service was as Mayor of Elizabeth, New Jersey (then Elizabethtown). He was elected in November 1789 and served until his death. He died at his home in 1795 and is buried in St. John's Episcopal Churchyard in Elizabeth. The home that he built in 1766 and lived in for 29 years was called the ''De Hart House'' and stood at the intersection of Rahway Avenue and Cherry Street in Elizabeth. His daughter Abigail married John Mayo, a prominent Virginia planter, and had a daughter, Maria D. Mayo, who was married to General

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...

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John De Hart
at The Political Graveyard 1727 births 1795 deaths Continental Congressmen from New Jersey 18th-century American politicians Mayors of Elizabeth, New Jersey Justices of the Supreme Court of New Jersey New Jersey lawyers People of colonial New Jersey Burials in New Jersey Signers of the Continental Association {{NewJersey-mayor-stub