Richard Stockton Field (December 31, 1803 – May 25, 1870) was an

Attorney General of New Jersey The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confi ...

, a

United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

from

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 ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

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 United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Third Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. gover ...

Education and career

Born on December 31, 1803, at White Hill Mansion in

Burlington County, New Jersey Burlington County is a county in the South Jersey region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county is the largest by land area in New Jersey and ranks second behind neighboring Ocean County in total area. Its county seat is Mount Holly.< ...

, Field moved with his mother to

Princeton 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 ...

, New Jersey in 1810, graduated from the College of New Jersey (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 ...

) in 1821, and

read law Reading law was the primary 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 un ...

in 1825. He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Salem, New Jersey from 1825 to 1832. 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 1833 to 1834, and in 1837. He resumed private practice in

, New Jersey from 1834 to 1838. He was

from 1838 to 1841. He again resumed private practice in Princeton from 1842 to 1847. He was a member of the New Jersey constitutional convention in 1844. He was a Professor for the law department of Princeton University from 1847 to 1855. He then resumed private practice in Princeton from 1855 to 1862.

Congressional service

Field was appointed as a Republican to 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 ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

John Renshaw Thomson and served from November 21, 1862, to January 14, 1863, when a successor was elected. He was not a candidate for election in 1863.

Federal judicial service

Field was nominated by President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

on January 14, 1863, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Philemon Dickerson. He was confirmed by the

on January 14, 1863, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on April 25, 1870, due to his resignation.

Death

Field died on May 25, 1870, in Princeton. He was interred in

Princeton Cemetery Princeton Cemetery is located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the Nassau Presbyterian Church. In his 1878 history of Princeton, New Jersey, John F. Hageman refers to the cemetery as "The Westminster Abbey of the United S ...

Family

Field was the great-grandson of Richard Stockton, a New Jersey delegate to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

, and grandson of Richard Stockton, a

from New Jersey. In 1831, Field married Mary Ritchie. They were the parents of Helen Field Conover, the wife of Francis Stevens Conover and mother of Richard Field Conover; Colonel Edward Field, a veteran of 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 ...

and career Army officer; and Annis Thomson, the wife of Professor Charles McMillen.

Civic endeavors

Field was a founder of the New Jersey Historical Society, and served as its president. He was a founder of the State Normal School, now known as

The College of New Jersey The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a public university in Ewing Township, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Established in 1855 as the New Jersey State Normal School, TCNJ was the first normal school, ...

, and served as president of its board of trustees. In addition, Field was a founder of the Farnham School in Beverly, New Jersey, which served as a preparatory school for prospective students of the State Normal School.

Honors

In 1859, Princeton University conferred on Field the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

References

Sources

*
Richard Stockton Field
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Field, Richard Stockton 1803 births 1870 deaths People from Burlington County, New Jersey Stockton family (New Jersey) American people of English descent Republican Party United States senators from New Jersey New Jersey attorneys general Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Judges of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey United States federal judges appointed by Abraham Lincoln United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Princeton University alumni Princeton University faculty People of New Jersey in the American Civil War Burials at Princeton Cemetery 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature