Frederick T. Frelinghuysen | |
|---|---|
(2).jpg) Frelinghuysenc. 1865–80 | |
| 29thUnited States Secretary of State | |
| In office December 19, 1881 – March 6, 1885 | |
| President | Chester A. Arthur Grover Cleveland |
| Preceded by | James G. Blaine |
| Succeeded by | Thomas F. Bayard |
| United States Senator fromNew Jersey | |
| In office March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1877 | |
| Preceded by | Alexander G. Cattell |
| Succeeded by | John R. McPherson |
| In office November 12, 1866 – March 3, 1869 | |
| Preceded by | William Wright |
| Succeeded by | John P. Stockton |
| 22ndAttorney General of New Jersey | |
| In office 1861–1867 | |
| Governor | Charles Smith Olden Joel Parker Marcus Lawrence Ward |
| Preceded by | William L. Dayton |
| Succeeded by | George M. Robeson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen (1817-08-04)August 4, 1817 Millstone, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | May 20, 1885(1885-05-20) (aged 67) Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Whig(Before 1860) Republican(1860–death) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 6, includingFrederick,George |
| Relatives | Frelinghuysen family |
| Education | Rutgers University, New Brunswick(BA) |
| Signature |  |
Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen (August 4, 1817 – May 20, 1885)[1] was an American lawyer and politician from New Jersey who served as a U.S. Senator and later asUnited States Secretary of State under PresidentChester A. Arthur.[2]
Frelinghuysen was born inMillstone, New Jersey, and was adopted by his uncle Theodore Frelinghuysen after his father's death. He graduated fromRutgers College and studied law under his uncle. Frelinghuysen was involved in various political roles, including serving as a delegate to the1860 Republican National Convention and asAttorney General of New Jersey. He was also appointed to fill a vacancy in theUnited States Senate.
In 1870, Frelinghuysen was nominated asU.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom but declined the position. He served again as a U.S. Senator from 1871 to 1877, and in 1881, was appointed U.S. Secretary of State by President Chester A. Arthur, serving until 1885. During his tenure, he withdrew the U.S. from theWar of the Pacific and negotiated a treaty change withHawaii, allowing for a naval base atPearl Harbor.
After his term as Secretary of State, Frelinghuysen returned toNewark, New Jersey, where he died less than three months later. He married Matilda Elizabeth Griswold in 1842, with whom he had six children.Frelinghuysen University inWashington, D.C. was named in his honor in 1917.
Frelinghuysen was born inMillstone, New Jersey, to Frederick Frelinghuysen (1788–1820) and Mary Dumont. His father died when he was just three years old, and he was adopted by his uncle,[3]Theodore Frelinghuysen (1787–1862).
His grandfather,Frederick Frelinghuysen (1753–1804), was an eminent lawyer, one of the framers of the firstNew Jersey Constitution, a soldier in theAmerican Revolutionary War, a member (1778–1779 and 1782–1783) of theContinental Congress from New Jersey, and from 1793 to 1796 a member of theUnited States Senate.[3]
His uncle, Theodore Frelinghuysen, wasAttorney General of New Jersey from 1817 to 1829, was a U.S. Senator from New Jersey from 1829 to 1835, was theWhig candidate forVice President of the United States on theHenry Clay ticket in the1844 Presidential election, and wasChancellor ofNew York University from 1839 until 1850 and president ofRutgers College from 1850 to 1862.[3]
Frelinghuysen graduated fromRutgers College in 1836, and studied law in Newark with his uncle, to whose practice he succeeded in 1839, after he was admitted to the bar.[2][3]
Following his admission to the bar, he became attorney for theCentral Railroad of New Jersey, theMorris Canal and Banking Company and other corporations.[2]
According toThe New York Times, Frelinghuysen was a member of theWhig Party until joining theRepublican Party upon its inception.[4] He was also crucial in establishing the Republican Party in New Jersey.[5]
During theAmerican Civil War, Frelinghuysen was active in public office rather than joining theUnion Army.[6] He was a delegate in 1861 to the Peace Congress, and appointed Attorney General of New Jersey by Governor Charles S. Olden that year to serve in the post until 1867. Frelinghuysen was encouraged by some to run for governor in 1862, though he declined.[7]
Frelinghuysen was a delegate to the1860 Republican National Convention from New Jersey and from 1861 to 1867 wasAttorney General of New Jersey. He was a delegate to thePeace conference of 1861 in Washington, and in 1866 was appointed by theGovernor of New Jersey, as aRepublican, to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate. In the winter of 1867, he was elected to fill the unexpired term, but a Democratic majority in theNew Jersey Legislature prevented his re-election in 1869.[2][3]
In 1870, he was nominated byPresidentUlysses S. Grant, and confirmed by the Senate, asUnited States Ambassador to the United Kingdom to succeedJohn Lothrop Motley, but declined the mission. From 1871 to 1877 he was again a member of the United States Senate, in which he was prominent in debate and in committee work, and was chairman of theU.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs during theAlabama Claims negotiations.[2][3]
He was a strong opponent of theReconstruction measures of PresidentAndrew Johnson, for whose conviction he voted for inJohnson's impeachment trial.[8] Frelinghuysen supported theRadical Republicans' program for Reconstruction that emphasized a harsh treatment of formerConfederates.[9] He later allied with the GOP Stalwart faction whose members tended to utilize corruption/patronage effectively, though was considered to have a clean record.[10]
He was a member of the joint committee which drew up and reported (1877) the Electoral Commission Bill, and subsequently served as a member of theElectoral Commission that decided the1876 Presidential election.[3] As aRepublican, he voted with the eight-member majority on all counts.[2]
On December 12, 1881, he was appointedUnited States Secretary of State by PresidentChester A. Arthur to succeedJames G. Blaine, and served until the inauguration of PresidentGrover Cleveland in 1885.[11]
Upon taking the post, Frelinghuysen was tasked with resolving a number of consequences resulted by the actions of his predecessor Blaine.[10] Taking a pacifistic and patient approach,[5][9] he shared the vision held byWilliam H. Seward of the United States dominating the global market in setting an example for other nations to follow, he withdrew the U.S. from theWar of the Pacific betweenChile andPeru in which his predecessor unsuccessfully backed the Peruvians.[10][12]
Frelinghuysen's other actions included canceling a scheduled Pan-American conference against President Arthur's wishes that Blaine had originally planned.[9][10][12] In addition, he negotiated a treaty change withHawaii that allowed for a naval base for the U.S. inPearl Harbor,[5] which was later known for being bombed byJapan inWorld War II.
In contrast to his predecessors in the position of U.S. Secretary of State, Frelinghuysen proved unable to urgeGreat Britain to modify the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty terms in a re-negotiation attempt,[12] and instead pushed through a treaty withNicaragua that would permit the construction of a canal in the country under joint ownership.[9] However, it was withdrawn later during the presidency ofGrover Cleveland by the U.S. Senate, which did not ratify it.[12] Other efforts rejected by Congress included proposals to negotiate reciprocitySpain,Mexico, and Santo Dominigo, in addition to opening an international consortium between the Congo, U.S. and other countries.[10]
Frelinghuysen served in the post until the end of President Arthur's term, effectively resigning in early March 1885.[12]
After his term as Secretary of State Frelinghuysen returned to his home inNewark where he died less than three months after retiring.[13]
In 1917,Frelinghuysen University inWashington D.C. was named in honor of his service to African American causes.[14]
On January 25, 1842, Frelinghuysen married Matilda Elizabeth Griswold (1817–1889).[15] She was the daughter of George Griswold,[16] a merchant in New York City who "made an immense fortune in the time of the clipper trade with China."[15] Together, they were the parents of three daughters and three sons, including:[16]
Frelinghuysen died at Newark on May 20, 1885, aged 67.[1] He was buried atMount Pleasant Cemetery, Newark.[28][29][30] His widow died a few years later in February 1889.[15]
Through his eldest son Frederick, he was the grandfather of George Griswold Frelinghuysen II, who married Anne de Smolianinof;Estelle C. "Suzy" Frelinghuysen, who married fellow painterGeorge Lovett Kingsland Morris; Frederick Frelinghuysen; Thomas Frelinghuysen; and Theodore Frelinghuysen.[31][32]
Through his daughter Sarah and granddaughter Mathilda Elizabeth Frelinghuysen (née Davis) Lodge (1876–1960), who marriedGeorge Cabot Lodge, he was the great-grandfather ofHenry Cabot Lodge Jr. (1902–1985), the diplomat andUnited States Senator from Massachusetts,[33][34] andJohn Davis Lodge (1903–1985), also a diplomat,U.S. Representative, andGovernor of Connecticut.[35]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Frelinghuysen, Frederick Theodore".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 11 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 96.Frelinghuysen was President of the Benefit Life Insurance Company in Newark for ... to become President of the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company. ...
Daughter of Former Grand Master of Imperial Court, His Bride. Mrs. Vladimir N. de Smolianinof of West Seventy-fifth Street announced yesterday the ...
Mrs. Anne de Smolianinoff Frelinghuysen obtained a divorce here today from George Griswold Frelinghuysen ofPrinceton, New Jersey, on grounds of cruelty. They were married on December 12, 1934, inLos Angeles.
Sources
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | New Jersey Attorney General 1861–1866 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 1) from New Jersey 1866–1869 Served alongside:Alexander G. Cattell | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from New Jersey 1871–1877 Served alongside:John P. Stockton,Theodore F. Randolph | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Secretary of State Served under:Chester A. Arthur 1881–1885 | Succeeded by |
| Agriculture (1829–1857; 1863–1881) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture and Forestry (1884–1977) | ||
| Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (1977–) | ||
| Secretary of State |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| Secretary of the Treasury |
| |
| Secretary of War |
| |
| Attorney General |
| |
| Postmaster General |
| |
| Secretary of the Navy |
| |
| Secretary of the Interior |
| |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
