Theodore Strong (January 15, 1863 – December 24, 1928) was an American lawyer and politician.
Early life
Strong was born on January 15, 1863, in
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. He was the third son of Harriet Anna (
née
The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Hartwell) Strong (1827–1909) and Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge Strong (1827–1907), presiding justice of the Court of Common Pleas of Middlesex County. Among his older siblings was brothers Edward Woodbridge Strong; Alan Hartwell Strong, who married Susan De Lancey Cullen Van Rensselaer; and Joseph Maltby Strong. Reportedly, his father caught "
gold fever
A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Gr ...
" in 1849, and journeyed to California, and is "credited with being among the pioneers who made gold discoveries in Oregon."
His paternal grandfather was the prominent mathematician, Theodore Strong, who was raised by his wealthy uncle
Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge
Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge (March 5, 1739March 8, 1819) was an American physician, lawyer, farmer, and military officer who served as a colonel in the Massachusetts militia during the American Revolutionary War.''Massachusetts Soldiers and Sa ...
(the namesake of his father). Through his father, he was a direct descendant of Governor
Thomas Dudley
Thomas Dudley (12 October 157631 July 1653) was a New England colonial magistrate who served several terms as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Dudley was the chief founder of Newtowne, later Cambridge, Massachusetts, and built the tow ...
, and Rev.
John Woodbridge
John Woodbridge VI (1613–1696) was an English nonconformist, who emigrated to New England. He had positions on both sides of the Atlantic, until 1663, when he settled permanently in New England.
Life
John Woodbridge VI was born at Stanton, ...
, who came to Massachusetts in 1634. Through his mother, he was a descendant of William Hartwell, who came to
Plymouth County, Massachusetts
Plymouth County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, south of Boston. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 530,819. Its county seats are Plymouth, Massachusetts, Plymouth and ...
Rutgers University
Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
as a member of the class of 1883.
Career
After studying law under his father at Woodbridge, Strong & Sons (founded in 1852), he was
admitted to the bar
An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
in June 1886, and as a counselor in June 1889. When his father became a judge, the firm was dissolved and he formed a new firm with his brother Alan, known as Strong & Strong, and practiced until his death in 1928. In September 1912, after his brother Alan moved to Philadelphia and became General Counsel for the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company
The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its p ...
, Theodore became solicitor for the company in New Jersey and "wholly withdrew from politics."
In November 1900, Strong was elected in a Republican wave to the
New Jersey State Senate
The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...
to represent
Middlesex County, New Jersey
Middlesex County is a County (United States), county located in the North Jersey, north-Central Jersey, central part of the U.S. state of New Jersey, extending inland from the Raritan River, Raritan Valley region to the northern portion of the ...
defeating the incumbent Democratic candidate, and former mayor of New Brunswick, James H. Van Cleef, with 9,283 to 7,327. Strong had secured the Republican nomination in October after thirty-seven ballots. He was succeeded in the Senate by fellow Republican William Howard Crosby Jackson. In addition, Strong served two terms as a member of the Republican State Committee, served on the executive committee and "was a member of the coterie of Republican State Leaders once known as 'The Big Four'". In April 1903, he was appointed by Governor Franklin Murphy as a member of the New Jersey State Board of Assessors and later served as its president for several years.
Personal life
On March 21, 1900, Strong was married to Cornelia Livingston Van Rensselaer (1879–1956). Cornelia, a graduate of the Misses Fenimore Coopers' School in
Albany, New York
Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...
, was the daughter of Visscher Van Rensselaer and Mary Augusta Miller (née Van Rensselaer) and a great-granddaughter of
Jeremiah Van Rensselaer
Jeremiah Van Rensselaer (August 27, 1738February 19, 1810), from the prominent Van Rensselaer family, was the lieutenant governor of New York and a member of Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing New York in the 1st United ...
a
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...
and the former
Lieutenant Governor of New York
The lieutenant governor of New York is a Constitution of New York, constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governo ...
. Together, Theodore and Cornelia lived at "Stronghold" at 272 Hamilton Street in New Brunswick and were the parents of six sons and two daughters:
* Theodore Strong (1901–1978).
* Cornelia Livingston Van Rensselaer Strong (1902–1989), who served as a president of the New York chapter of the
Colonial Dames of America
The Colonial Dames of America (CDA) is an American organization comprising women who descend from one or more ancestors who lived in British North America between 1607 and 1775, and who aided the colonies in public office, in military service, or ...
.
* Katharine Van Rensselaer Strong (b. 1904), who married Morrison Ulman.
* Stephen Van Rensselaer Strong (1906–1975), who married Marianne Schappert.
* Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge Strong (1910–1997), who married Julie Maxilienne DeViry (1919–2000), a native of
Thonon-les-Bains
Thonon-les-Bains (; ), often simply referred to as Thonon, is a subprefecture of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. In 2018, the commune had a population of 35,241. Thonon-les-Bains is part of a ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
who was a daughter of Baron Humbert and Baroness Delphine Marie deViry.
* John Van Rensselaer Strong (1912–1990), who married Nancy (née Jones) de Rohan.
* Robert Livingston Strong (1914–2007), who married Mary Johnston Sutherland (1924–2006).
* Philip Livingston Strong (1918–1998), who married Sally Ann Borthwick (1928-2013).
Strong died at his home in New Brunswick on December 24, 1928, after several days suffering "from the grip" (today known as
influenza
Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...
). His funeral was held at his home and was conducted by Dr.
William Henry Steele Demarest
William Henry Steele Demarest (May 12, 1863 – June 23, 1956) was an American Dutch Reformed minister and the eleventh President of Rutgers College (now Rutgers University) serving from 1906 to 1924.
Biography
Demarest was born on May 12, ...
, then president of the
New Brunswick Theological Seminary
New Brunswick Theological Seminary is a seminary of the Reformed Church in America (RCA), a mainline Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States that follows the theological tradition and Christian practice of John Calvin. It was fo ...
and former
president of Rutgers University
The President of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (informally called Rutgers University) is the chief administrator of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Rutgers was founded by clergymen affiliated with the Dutch Reformed C ...