Charles Haight (January 4, 1838August 1, 1891) was an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician who represented

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

's 2nd congressional district in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from 1867 to 1871.

Early life

Haight was born in

Colts Neck Township, New Jersey Colts Neck Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's popul ...

, on January 4, 1838, to Thomas Haight, later a Democratic nominee for governor of New Jersey in 1847. He attended private schools in Freehold, New Jersey, and graduated from

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

in 1857. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1861 and commenced practice in Freehold.

Career

Haight 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 1860 to 1862 and served as speaker in 1861 and 1862. He was commissioned a brigadier general of militia on May 27, 1861, and during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

was in command of Camp Vredenburgh from August 22, 1862, until the close of the war. Haight was elected as a Democrat to the Fortieth and Forty-first Congresses, serving in office from March 4, 1867, to March 3, 1871, but was not a candidate for renomination in 1870 to the

Forty-second Congress The 42nd 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, 1871, ...

. After leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law. He was a delegate to the

1872 Democratic National Convention The 1872 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention held at Ford's Grand Opera House on East Fayette Street, between North Howard and North Eutaw Streets, in Baltimore, Maryland on July 9 and 10, 1872. It resulted ...

, and served as chairman of the State delegation. He was appointed prosecutor of the pleas. He was appointed prosecuting attorney of

Monmouth County Monmouth County () is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is bordered to its west by Mercer and Middlesex Counties, to its south by Ocean County, to its east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to its north by ...

in 1873 and served until his death.

Personal life

Haight was the uncle to Judge

Thomas Griffith Haight Thomas Griffith Haight Sr. (August 4, 1879 – January 26, 1942) was a United States federal judge, United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the ...

. Haight died in Freehold on August 1, 1891. He was interred in Maplewood Cemetery in Freehold.

References

External links

Charles Haight
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 Politics of the United States, American political figures and List of United States political families, political families, along with other informa ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Haight, Charles 1838 births 1891 deaths Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey People from Colts Neck Township, New Jersey Princeton University alumni Speakers of the New Jersey General Assembly Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Union militia generals 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers Burials at Maplewood Cemetery, Freehold, New Jersey Military personnel from Monmouth County, New Jersey Lawyers from Monmouth County, New Jersey 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature