John Rutherfurd (September 20, 1760February 23, 1840) was an American politician and land surveyor. He 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 ...

in the

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

from 1791 to 1798.

Early life and education

Rutherfurd was born on September 20, 1760, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to Walter Rutherfurd (1723–1804) and Catherine Alexander (1727–1801), daughter of James Alexander and Mary Spratt Provoost. His father Walter, a veteran of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, was a hostage of the

Patriots A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot(s) or The Patriot(s) may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American R ...

during the Revolutionary War while John was a teenager. Rutherfurd attended the College of New Jersey, which is now

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, where he studied law. His sister, Mary Rutherfurd, was married to Maj. Gen. Matthew Clarkson. His maternal uncle was William Alexander (1726–1783), also known as Lord Stirling. Rutherfurd was also related to Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Baronet (1751–1814),

William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland, Privy Council of Ireland, PC (Ire), Royal Society, FRS (3 April 174528 May 1814) was a British diplomat and politician who sat in the British House of Commons, House of Commons from 1774 to 1793. Early life A m ...

(1745–1814), John Elliott (1732–1808), Governor of Newfoundland, Arthur St. Clair (1736–1818), a General and territorial Governor of Ohio. His paternal uncle was John Rutherfurd, an MP who was killed at

Fort Ticonderoga Fort Ticonderoga (), formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century star fort built by the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain in northern New York. It was constructed between October 1755 and 1757 by French-Canadian ...

during the Battle of Carillon, and was the father of John Rutherfurd, also an MP for Roxburghshire.

Career

After graduating from the College of New Jersey, Rutherfurd practiced law in

for several years. In 1787, he moved to a farm near Green Township, New Jersey, in Sussex County, New Jersey. After a boundary for the new county was drawn in 1824, his former holdings straddled Sussex and Warren counties. In 1788, he entered politics, serving in 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 ...

until 1790. He was then elected as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

to the

from

and served in the Senate from 1791 to 1798. Rutherfurd was the only senator to vote against the First Militia Act of 1792, and one of two senators to vote against the

Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution The Eleventh Amendment (Amendment XI) is an amendment to the United States Constitution which was passed by Congress on March 4, 1794, and ratified by the states on February 7, 1795. The Eleventh Amendment restricts the ability of individuals ...

. After serving in the United States Senate, Rutherfurd then retired from politics, but continued to undertake several important projects during the rest of his life. He was one of the three Commissioners who laid out the plans for the Manhattan street grid north of 14th Street from 1807 to 1811. Around 1816 he investigated the building of a possible

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...

connecting the

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

, Raritan and

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rivers. Finally, from 1827 to 1833, he helped settle New Jersey's boundaries with

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Personal life

In 1782, he married Helena Magdalena Morris (1762–1840), daughter of Congressman

Lewis Morris Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Conti ...

, and remained married to her until his death in 1840, with Helena dying shortly after him. Together, they had eight children, including: * Mary Rutherfurd (1784–1868), who did not marry and served as the executor of her Rutherfurd's estate. * Robert Walter Rutherfurd (1788–1852), a member of the New Jersey State Legislature, who married Sabina Elliott Morris (1789–1857), his first cousin. * Helena Rutherfurd (1790–1873), who married Peter Gerard Stuyvesant (1778–1847), the 2x-great grandson of

Peter Stuyvesant Peter Stuyvesant ( – August 1672)Mooney, James E. "Stuyvesant, Peter" in p.1256 was a Dutch colonial administrator who served as the Directors of New Netherland, director-general of New Netherland from 1647 to 1664, when the colony was pro ...

and one of the wealthiest New Yorkers in his lifetime. * Louisa Morris Rutherfurd (1792–1857), who died unmarried. * Anna Rutherfurd (1794–1852), who married Dr. John Watts (1786–1834), a son of Robert Watts (son of John Watts) and Mary (née Alexander) Watts (daughter of

William Alexander, Lord Stirling William Alexander, also known as Lord Stirling (December 27, 1725 – January 15, 1783), was a Scottish-American major general during the American Revolutionary War. He held a claim to be the male heir to the Scottish title of Earl of Stirl ...

). In 1808, Rutherfurd moved with his family to a farm on the banks of the

Passaic River The Passaic River ( or ) is a river, approximately long, in North Jersey, northern New Jersey. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburb ...

near what is now

Rutherford, New Jersey Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 18,834, an increase of 773 (+4.3%) from the 2010 census count of 18,061, which in turn reflected a de ...

. He lived at this place for the rest of his life, naming it "Edgerston", and died there.

Descendants

Rutherfurd's grandson through his son Robert, was Lewis Morris Rutherfurd (1816–1892), a pioneering astrophotographer who took the first telescopic photographs of the moon and sun, as well as many stars and planets.

Legacy

The borough of

, was named at least in part after John Rutherfurd, who had owned much of the land during his life. However, the spelling was changed due to the fame of President

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was the 19th president of the United States, serving from 1877 to 1881. Hayes served as Cincinnati's city solicitor from 1858 to 1861. He was a staunch Abolitionism in the Un ...

who was President of the United States during the 1870s when the town was created. Gannett, Henry
''The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States''
p. 268.

United States Government Printing Office The United States Government Publishing Office (USGPO or GPO), formerly the United States Government Printing Office, is an agency of the Legislature, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal gove ...

, 1905. Accessed September 27, 2015.

References

External links

Guide to the John Rutherfurd Papers, 1726-1835
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rutherfurd, John 1760 births 1840 deaths American surveyors Federalist Party United States senators from New Jersey Members of the New Jersey General Assembly Morris family (Morrisania and New Jersey) New Jersey Federalists People from Rutherford, New Jersey People from colonial New York Politicians from New York City Politicians from Sussex County, New Jersey Princeton University alumni Pro-Administration Party United States senators from New Jersey Rutherfurd family 18th-century United States senators 18th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature