Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen (August 4, 1817May 20, 1885)

Frelinghuysen was born in Millstone, New Jersey, and was adopted by his uncle Theodore Frelinghuysen after his father's death. He graduated from Rutgers College and studied law under his uncle. Frelinghuysen was involved in various political roles, including serving as a delegate to the 1860 Republican National Convention and as Attorney General of New Jersey. He was also appointed to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate.

In 1870, Frelinghuysen was nominated as U.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 the War of the Pacific and negotiated a treaty change with Hawaii, allowing for a naval base at Pearl Harbor.

After his term as Secretary of State, Frelinghuysen returned to Newark, 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 in Washington, D.C. was named in his honor in 1917.

Early life and education

thumb|upright=1|Statue honoring Frelinghuysen in [[Newark, New Jersey]]

Frelinghuysen was born in Millstone, 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, He was also crucial in establishing the Republican Party in New Jersey.

During the American Civil War, Frelinghuysen was active in public office rather than joining the Union Army. 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.

Frelinghuysen was a delegate to the 1860 Republican National Convention from New Jersey and from 1861 to 1867 was Attorney General of New Jersey. He was a delegate to the Peace conference of 1861 in Washington, and in 1866 was appointed by the Governor of New Jersey, as a Republican, 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 the New Jersey Legislature prevented his re-election in 1869. Frelinghuysen supported the Radical Republicans' program for Reconstruction that emphasized a harsh treatment of former Confederates. He later allied with the GOP Stalwart faction whose members tended to utilize corruption/patronage effectively, though was considered to have a clean record.

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 the Electoral Commission that decided the 1876 Presidential election. As a Republican, he voted with the eight-member majority on all counts.

Upon taking the post, Frelinghuysen was tasked with resolving a number of consequences resulted by the actions of his predecessor Blaine.

Frelinghuysen's other actions included canceling a scheduled Pan-American conference against President Arthur's wishes that Blaine had originally planned.

Legacy

In 1917, Frelinghuysen University in Washington D.C. was named in honor of his service to African American causes.

Marriage and children

On January 25, 1842, Frelinghuysen married Matilda Elizabeth Griswold (1817–1889).

  • Matilda Griswold Frelinghuysen (1846–1926), who married Henry Winthrop Gray (1840–1906), a prominent merchant
  • Charlotte Louisa "Lucy" Frelinghuysen (1847–1930), who married Estelle B. Kinney, daughter of Thomas T. Kinney, in 1902.
  • George Griswold Frelinghuysen (1851–1936), who married Sara Linen Ballantine, granddaughter of Peter Ballantine, in 1881.
  • Sarah Helen Frelinghuysen (1856–1939),
  • Theodore Frelinghuysen (1860–1928), After her death, he married Elizabeth Mary "Lily" (née Thompson) Cannon, a daughter of William G. Thompson and descendant of Elijah Brush, both Mayors of Detroit, and the widow of Henry Lee Grand Cannon.

Frelinghuysen died at Newark on May 20, 1885, aged 67. He was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Newark. His widow died a few years later in February 1889.

Descendants

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 painter George Lovett Kingsland Morris; Frederick Frelinghuysen; Thomas Frelinghuysen; and Theodore Frelinghuysen.

Through his daughter Sarah and granddaughter Mathilda Elizabeth Frelinghuysen (née Davis) Lodge (1876–1960), who married George Cabot Lodge, he was the great-grandfather of Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (1902–1985), the diplomat and United States senator from Massachusetts, and John Davis Lodge (1903–1985), also a diplomat, U.S. Representative, and Governor of Connecticut.

References

Sources

  • Biographical information for Frederick T. Frelinghuysen from The Political Graveyard