Rodman McCamley Price (May 5, 1816June 7, 1894) was an American lawyer and

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

politician who represented in the

United States House of Representatives 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 ...

for one term from 1851–1853. He later served as the 17th

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 1854 to 1857. Price was a close friend and business partner of Joseph Warren Revere, taking over Revere's San Geronimo rancho in the 1850s.

Early life and career

Price was born in Newton, in Sussex County on May 5, 1816. He attended the public schools of

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and the Lawrenceville Academy (a predecessor to today's

Lawrenceville School The Lawrenceville School is a coeducational preparatory school for boarding and day students located in the Lawrenceville section of Lawrence Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. Lawrenceville is a member of the Eight Scho ...

). Price pursued classical studies at

Princeton College 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 ni ...

, but did not graduate. He studied law and was admitted to the bar. Price was appointed purser in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

in 1840 and was stationed in San Francisco; during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

, he served as an officer of the Navy; prefect and alcalde of Monterey in 1846 and the first American to exercise judicial functions in California; naval agent 1848–1850. In 1849 in Monterey, California, Price was a delegate to the first of the

California Constitutional Conventions The California Constitutional Conventions were two separate constitutional conventions that took place in California during the nineteenth century which led to the creation of the modern Constitution of California. The first, known as the 1849 ...

. He was, however, unsuccessful in the election for the state's first representatives in Congress. Circa 1849, fellow naval officer and Mexican-American War soldier Joseph Warren Revere invited Price to his San Geronimo ranch. Price was impressed with Revere's management of the land and the profit it accrued. On December 28, 1849, Price paid Revere $7,500 to purchase half the land, with $2,500 up front (the deadline for the remaining expenses being January 1, 1851). The two would split the profits of timber exports from the property. On August 6. 1851, Price bought the remainder of Revere's property for $8,000. Revere moved to Morristown, New Jersey the following year.

Congress

On returning to New Jersey, Price was elected as a Democrat to the

32nd United States Congress The 32nd 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, 1851, ...

from

New Jersey's 5th congressional district New Jersey's 5th congressional district is represented by Democrat Josh Gottheimer, who has served in Congress since 2017. The district stretches across the entire northern border of the state and contains most of Bergen County, as well as p ...

. Price served from March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853, but was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1852 to the Thirty-third Congress. His move to New Jersey inspired his close friend Joseph Warren Revere to purchase farm land and construct a custom 1854 mansion in Morristown, New Jersey.

Governor

He was elected

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 ...

the following year, serving from 1854–1857, where he became the father of the public school system of New Jersey. He established a ferry from

Weehawken Weehawken is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located largely on the Hudson Palisades overlooking the Hudson River. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 17,197.

to New York and engaged in the quarrying business and in the reclamation of lands along the

Hackensack River The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles (72 km) long, in the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The drainage basin, watershed of the ri ...

. Price was a delegate to the

Peace Conference of 1861 The Peace Conference of 1861 was a meeting of 131 leading American politicians in February 1861, at the Willard's Hotel in Washington, D.C., on the eve of the American Civil War. The purpose of the conference was to avoid, if possible, the seces ...

held in Washington, D.C. in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

Death

Price died in Oakland, New Jersey on June 7, 1894. He was buried in the Reformed Cemetery, in

Mahwah, New Jersey Mahwah is the northernmost and largest municipality by geographic area () in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population of the township was 25,487, a decline of 403 from the 25,890 counted in the ...

References

External links

Biography of Rodman M. Price

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 Rodman McCauley Price

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 ...

Rodman McCamley Price

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 o ...

*
Dead Governors of New Jersey bio for Rodman McCamley PriceGuide to the Rodman M. Price Papers
at

The Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library in the center of the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, is the university's primary special-collections library. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retai ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Price, Rodman M. 1816 births 1894 deaths Democratic Party governors of New Jersey People from Newton, New Jersey Princeton University alumni United States Navy officers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey American Presbyterians American people of Welsh descent Lawrenceville School alumni Burials in New Jersey 19th-century American politicians Military personnel from New Jersey