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Ernest Robinson Ackerman | |
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Jersey's5th district | |
| In office March 4, 1919 – October 18, 1931 | |
| Preceded by | William F. Birch |
| Succeeded by | Percy Hamilton Stewart |
| Member of the New Jersey Senate from Union County | |
| In office 1905–1911 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Cross |
| Succeeded by | Carlton B. Pierce |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1863-06-17)17 June 1863 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | 18 October 1931(1931-10-18) (aged 68) Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Nora L. Weber (m. 1892) |
Ernest Robinson Ackerman (June 17, 1863 – October 18, 1931) was an American businessman,philatelist andRepublican Party politician who served in theNew Jersey Senate from 1906 to 1912 and in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1919 to 1931.
Ernest Robinson Ackerman was born inNew York City on June 17, 1863 to J. Hervey Ackerman and Ellen (née Morgan) Ackerman. His ancestors included multiple participants in theAmerican Revolution. He moved with his parents toPlainfield, New Jersey, where his father served as president of thecommon council and as a city judge.[1]
He was educated at public schools and graduated fromPlainfield High School in 1880. After his graduation, he traveled to England withGeorge E. Vincent, who later became president of theUniversity of Minnesota and theRockefeller Foundation.[1][2]
As a young man, Ackerman worked at the Lawrence Cement Company, which later became the Lawrence Portland Cement Company. He eventually became its president.[2] He also served a director of the Plainfield Trust Company and a director of theCentral Railroad Company of New Jersey.[1]
Ackerman was a member of the Plainfield common council in 1891 and 1892.[1]
In 1896, Ackerman was chosen as apresidential elector, casting his vote forWilliam McKinley andGarret Hobart. He served as secretary of the delegation in January 1897.[1]
He was a delegate to the1908 and1916 Republican National Conventions. At the 1908 convention, he was the New Jersey representative on the delegation to inform James S. Sherman of his nomination as vice president. He was appointed to the New Jersey State Board of Education afterJoseph S. Frelinghuysen Sr. was elected to theUnited States Senate in 1916, serving until 1920.[1]
In 1905, Ackerman was elected to theNew Jersey Senate, representingUnion County. He was re-elected to a second term in 1908. He was an author and primary sponsor of the state's firstcivil service law, which was known as the Ackerman Civil Service Law. He also introduced and pressed for the passage of the state's first employers' liability law.[2]
Ackerman also formed a special committee oncapital punishment with senators Barton B. Hutchinson ofMercer County and Jacob C. Price ofSussex County, which studied conditions abroad and throughout the United States.[1]
In 1910, Ackerman chaired the Senate committees on the Judiciary and on Finance. In 1911, he was elected president of the Senate and served as acting governor whileWoodrow Wilson was touring the West ahead of his presidential campaign.[1] He did not run for re-election in 1911, and he was succeeded by Carlton Pierce.
During the First World War, Ackerman was the federal food administrator forUnion County, chair of the War Savings Committee for Plainfield, and local chair of the YMCA War Work Council.[1]
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In 1918, he was elected to representNew Jersey's 5th congressional district, which consisted of Union County andMorris County. He was re-elected to six terms, typically leading the Republican ticket in his district and serving until his death in 1931.[2]
In Congress, Ackerman became known as a "dry," supportive ofProhibition, but he later revised his positions to support "reasonable" modifications to theVolstead Act to permit the sale of light wines and beer. He also supported theSmoot–Hawley Tariff Act.[2]
At the time of his death, Ackerman was a member of theHouse Committee on Appropriations and the Migratory Bird Commission.[2]
During his tenure in the House, Ackerman became known for carrying a blackumbrella which had been in his possession for over 50 years. He had purchased it on his trip to London in 1880 but only began carrying it regularly around 1895, when he contractedpneumonia in Trenton. When he died in 1931, hisWashington Post andThe New York Times obituaries included a special feature on his umbrella, which had crossed the Atlantic Ocean over 100 times and traveled approximately 740,000 miles with Ackerman. He had the cloth repaired several times.[2][3] According to his wishes, the umbrella was donated to the Plainfield Public Library upon his death.[2]
Ackerman married Nora L. Weber on February 11, 1892.[1] In September 1907, they attended the maiden voyage of theCunard linerRMSLusitania fromLiverpool toNew York.
Ackerman was a member of the New Jersey Geological Survey and associate of theAmerican Society of Civil Engineers. He was a member of the board of trustees ofRutgers College,New Brunswick, a director of theYMCA, and a member of theBoy Scouts Council. InNew York City, he belonged to theUnion League Club andIndia House, a private club for men engaged in global commerce, as well as the Chamber of Commerce and Merchants Association, serving on its committee on commercial law and city traffic. He was a generous donor to the YMCA, the Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church, andMuhlenberg Hospital in Plainfield.[1][2]
Ackerman was a famousphilatelist and he won many awards for his stamp collections and exhibits of postal stamps and postal history.[1] He was known for his famous collections ofBritish Guiana andSpain, but he was regarded as an expert inpostage stamps andpostal history of the United States. His U.S. collection included scarce carrier and local stamps, United States Department stamps, and U.S. essays and proofs. On one occasion, his search took him to San Marino, where he discovered a letter fromAbraham Lincoln to thecaptains regent of the principality.[2]
At the time of his death, his collection was valued at over $1 million (approximately $17 million today).[2] A part of his valuable United States collection was bequeathed to theSmithsonian Institution’sNational Postal Museum inWashington, D.C. Ackerman was named to theAmerican Philatelic Society Hall of Fame in 2000.
Ackerman died in Plainfield on October 18, 1931 of heart disease after spending a few days ill at home. His funeral was held at Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church in Plainfield, and he was buried in the family plot inHillside Cemetery inScotch Plains.[2]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew Jersey's 5th congressional district March 4, 1919 – October 18, 1931 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | President of theNew Jersey Senate 1911 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
