Thomas Nesbitt McCarter (October 20, 1867 – October 23, 1955) was an American lawyer who served as the

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 ...

from 1902 until 1903, resigning to organize the Public Service Corporation of New Jersey. He served as its president for 36 years, as it became one of the biggest public utilities companies in the United States.

Early life and education

McCarter was born in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

in 1867 to Thomas Nesbitt and Mary Louisa (Haggerty) McCarter. After attending the

Newark Academy Newark Academy is a coeducational private day school located in Livingston, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in sixth through twelfth grades. It was the first school in New Jersey to offer the International Ba ...

and

Pingry School The Pingry School is a coeducational, independent, college preparatory country day school in New Jersey, with a Lower School (K–5) campus in the Short Hills neighborhood of Millburn, a Middle (6–8) and Upper School (9–12) campus in ...

, he entered

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 ...

, graduating in 1888. McCarter studied law at

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...

. He started practice with his father's law firm, McCarter & Keen, founded in 1845 in

Marriage and family

After starting work with his brother and brother-in-law, McCarter married and had several children, including Thomas N. McCarter, Jr.; and Ellen McCarter, who married

Nelson Doubleday Nelson Doubleday (June 16, 1889 – January 11, 1949) was an American book publisher and president of Doubleday Company from 1922–1946. His father Frank Nelson Doubleday had founded the business. His son Nelson Doubleday Jr. followed ...

. He became president of the publishing firm his father founded.

Career

McCarter and his brother Robert, along with their brother-in-law Edwin B. Williamson, renamed their law firm in 1891 as McCarter, Williamson & McCarter (later it was known as

McCarter & English McCarter & English, LLP, is an American full-service law firm headquartered in Newark, New Jersey. Founded in 1845, it is one of the oldest law firms in the United States. Besides its Newark headquarters, the firm has offices across the United St ...

)."150 Years of Briefs, Torts And the Occasional Celebrity"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', May 14, 1995. Accessed June 26, 2008. In 1896 McCarter was appointed judge of the First District Court in Newark, resigning in 1899. That year he was elected to the

New Jersey 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 ...

, where he served as majority leader. Also in 1899 he began his own practice, founding the firm of McCarter & Adams with Edwin G. Adams. He ended his partnership with Adams in 1902 to serve as general counsel for the Fidelity Trust Company of Newark. Later in 1902 he was nominated by Governor Franklin Murphy as

and was immediately confirmed.Official bio
Office of the

. Accessed June 26, 2008. McCarter served only one year of his five-year term before resigning in 1903. He had been appointed to organize the Public Service Corporation of New Jersey, which would become one the nation's largest public utilities. Governor Murphy appointed his brother, Robert H. McCarter, to succeed him as Attorney General. McCarter became the first president of the Public Service Corporation; he served in that position for 36 years, resigning in 1945 on his 78th birthday. Under his guidance, the corporation expanded its control from trolley lines to the management of the state's gas, electric and transportation facilities. In 1948 it was renamed the

Public Service Electric and Gas Company The Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc. (PSEG) is a publicly traded energy company based in Newark, New Jersey. It was founded in 1985, with its roots tracing back to 1903. Its largest subsidiary is Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE ...

. McCarter died in 1955 at his home in Rumson at the age of 88. He was interred in the McCarter mausoleum in the cemetery located along Rumson Road in Rumson, NJ. His wife, Madeleine Barker McCarter, is also interred in this mausoleum.Red Bank Register, Dec. 19, 1957

Legacy and honors

*McCarter Theatre at Princeton University was named in his honor; he was a major benefactor for the new project."T.N. M'Carter Sr., Founded Utility"
''

'', October 24, 1955. Accessed June 26, 2008. *

McCarter Highway Route 21 is a state highway in Northern New Jersey, running from the Newark Airport Interchange with US 1-9 and US 22 in Newark, Essex County to an interchange with US 46 in Clifton, Passaic County. The route is a four- to ...

was named for him; it is a major artery that runs from Downtown Newark to Belleville. *Nesbitt St. in Newark is named for him. *The field by Viola L. Sickles Elementary in Fair Haven is named McCarter Park. At the Intersection of Willow St. and Fair Haven Rd. is a brick gate that reads Rumson Hill. It marks the entrance to McCarter's estate, the path of which traces Buttonwood Lane in Fair Haven and Sycamore Lane in Rumson. Both streets are bordered with buttonwood trees. The Buttonwood Lane portion also passes a pond on Fair Haven Rd. called McCarter pond, which was installed for ornamental use and is used for fishing and skating.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCarter, Thomas N. 1867 births 1955 deaths Newark Academy alumni New Jersey attorneys general Politicians from Newark, New Jersey Princeton University alumni Columbia Law School alumni Republican Party New Jersey state senators Politicians from Rumson, New Jersey Pingry School alumni Lawyers from Newark, New Jersey 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature 19th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature