Mahlon Dickerson (April 17, 1770 – October 5, 1853) was a justice of the

Supreme Court of New Jersey 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 ...

, the seventh

governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

from

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 Delawa ...

, the 10th

United States Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

and a United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the District of New Jersey The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (in case citations, D.N.J.) is a federal court in the Third Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the ...

Early life

Dickerson was born on April 17, 1770, in Hanover Neck,

Province of New Jersey The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1783. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland but came under English rule after t ...

British America British America comprised the colonial territories of the English Empire, which became the British Empire after the 1707 union of the Kingdom of England with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, in the Americas fro ...

. He was the brother of

Philemon Dickerson Philemon Dickerson (January 11, 1788 – December 10, 1862) was a United States representative from New Jersey, the 12th governor of New Jersey and judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Education and care ...

, a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from New Jersey and Mahlon Dickerson's successor on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Dickerson was educated by private tutors, received an

Artium Baccalaureus Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in 1789 from the College of New Jersey (now

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

) and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under t ...

in 1793.

Career

He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Morristown, from 1793 to 1794, and from 1794 to 1796. He was a private in the New Jersey Detached Militia, Second Regiment of Cavalry in 1794, during the

Whiskey Rebellion The Whiskey Rebellion (also known as the Whiskey Insurrection) was a violent tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during the presidency of George Washington. The so-called "whiskey tax" was the first tax impo ...

. He continued private practice in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

from 1797 to 1810. He was a miner and iron manufacturer in Morris County, New Jersey from 1810 to 1853. He served as a Judge of the Mayor's Court in Philadelphia. He was a member of the Philadelphia Common Council in 1799. He was a commissioner of bankruptcy for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1802. He was Adjutant-general for Pennsylvania from 1805 to 1808. He was city recorder for Philadelphia from 1808 to 1810. He was a member of 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 ...

from 1811 to 1813. He was a justice of the

from 1813 to 1815. He was reporter for the Supreme Court of New Jersey from 1813 to 1814. He was the 7th

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...

from 1815 to 1817.

Congressional service

Dickerson was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

(later

Crawford Republican William Harris Crawford (February 24, 1772 – September 15, 1834) was an American politician and judge during the early 19th century. He served as US Secretary of War and US Secretary of the Treasury before he ran for US president in the 1824 U ...

and Jacksonian Democrat) from

to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

in 1816. He was reelected in 1823 and served from March 4, 1817, to January 30, 1829, when he resigned. He was immediately reelected to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

Ephraim Bateman Ephraim Bateman (July 9, 1780January 28, 1829) represented New Jersey in the United States Senate from 1826 to 1829 and in the United States House of Representatives from 1815 to 1823. Born in Cedarville, New Jersey, an area within Lawrence Tow ...

and served from January 30, 1829, to March 3, 1833. He was Chairman of the

United States Senate Committee on the Library The Joint Committee on the Library is a Joint Committee of the United States Congress devoted to the affairs and administration of the Library of Congress, which is the library of the federal legislature. There are five members of each house on th ...

for the

15th United States Congress The 15th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in the Old Brick Capitol in Washingto ...

, Chairman of the

United States Senate Committee on Commerce and Manufactures The United States Senate Committee on Commerce and Manufactures was one of the original standing committees created in the Senate in 1816, but it only lasted nine years, when it was split into the Committee on Commerce and the Committee on Manufac ...

for the 16th through the

18th United States Congress The 18th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1823 ...

es and Chairman of the

United States Senate Committee on Manufactures The United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is a standing committee of the United States Senate. Besides having broad jurisdiction over all matters concerning interstate commerce, science and technology policy, a ...

for the

19th 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics 19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full re ...

through the

22nd United States Congress The 22nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 18 ...

es.

Later career

Dickerson was vice-president of the

New Jersey Legislative Council The New Jersey Legislative Council was the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature under the New Jersey Constitution of 1776 until it was replaced by the New Jersey Senate under the Constitution of 1844. History The Legislative Council replaced ...

in 1833. President Andrew Jackson initially appointed him as minister to Russia which Dickerson had accepted only to find out upon his arrival to Washington D.C. that Jackson instead decided to make him the 10th

in 1834. He was re-appointed by President

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...

and served from June 1834 to June 1838. Dickerson was a delegate to the New Jersey Constitutional Convention in 1844.

Federal judicial service

Dickerson was nominated by President

on July 14, 1840, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge William Rossell. He was confirmed by the

on July 21, 1840, and received his commission on July 23, 1840. His service terminated on February 16, 1841, due to his resignation.

Personal life

He died on October 5, 1853, in Succasunna, Morris County, New Jersey. He was interred in Presbyterian Cemetery in Succasunna.

Societies

In 1807, Dickerson was elected a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

. During the 1820s, he was a member of the prestigious society,

Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences The Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences (1816–1838) was a literary and science institution in Washington, D.C., founded by Dr. Edward Cutbush (1772–1843), a naval surgeon. Thomas Law had earlier suggested of such a soci ...

, who counted among their members former presidents

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

and

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States ...

and many prominent men of the day, including well-known representatives of the military, government service, medical and other professions. In 1833, he was admitted to the

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

in the State of New Jersey.

Legacy

Mahlon Dickerson monument, Mahlon Dickerson Reservation, NJ

Mahlon Dickerson Reservation in Morris County is named after him.

References

Sources

External links

Biography of Mahlon Dickerson

New Jersey State Library The 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 Judiciary. The State Library is also responsible to assist in the provision of library and ...

New Jersey Governor Mahlon Dickerson

National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Members come to the association from across the politica ...

Article at "Discovering Lewis & Clark"

from

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations ...

*
Mahlon Dickerson Reservation
a 3,200-acre Morris County, New Jersey public park {{DEFAULTSORT:Dickerson, Mahlon 1770 births 1853 deaths People from Hanover Township, New Jersey People of colonial New Jersey American Episcopalians United States Secretaries of the Navy Jackson administration cabinet members Van Buren administration cabinet members Democratic-Republican Party United States senators from New Jersey Jacksonian United States senators from New Jersey New Jersey Democratic-Republicans New Jersey Jacksonians Governors of New Jersey Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States Members of the New Jersey Legislative Council Members of the New Jersey General Assembly Philadelphia City Council members Judges of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey United States federal judges appointed by Martin Van Buren Justices of the Supreme Court of New Jersey United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American judges Princeton University alumni People of the Whiskey Rebellion United States Army soldiers Burials in New Jersey 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians