Augustus Albert Hardenbergh (May 18, 1830 in

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

politician who represented

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

's 7th congressional district in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from 1875 to 1879, and again from 1881 to 1883.

Early life and career

Hardenbergh was born in

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Rutgers College Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

in 1844 and took up residence in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for ...

in 1853 and 1854. He was a member of the board of education in 1855 and 1856, and a member of the common council of Jersey City 1857-1863, serving as president in 1860. He moved to Bergen, New Jersey in 1863 and was a member of the city council of Bergen. He was elected State director of railroads in 1868, and moved to

Demarest, New Jersey Demarest is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,881,1872 Democratic National Convention The 1872 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention held at Ford's Grand Opera House on East Fayette Street, between North Howard and North Eutaw Streets, in Baltimore, Maryland on July 9 and 10, 1872. It resulted in ...

. He moved to Jersey City in 1873 and was elected president of the Northern Railroad of New Jersey in 1874.

Tenure in Congress

Hardenbergh was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth Congresses, serving in office from March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1879, but declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1878. He was elected president of the Hudson County National Bank in 1878. He was elected to the Forty-seventh Congress, serving in office from March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1883, but was not a candidate for renomination in 1882. Hardenbergh was one of the rare Democrats willing to buck his party's overwhelming support for the exclusion of Chinese laborers in 1882. He condemned the prejudice which was a key force in the push for Chinese exclusion, asking "Is freedom incompatible with any race . . . ?" Hardenbergh was well aware of the stifling party pressure to support exclusion, but responded that "In the vindication of human rights I will know no party.13 Cong. Rec. Appendix 93

Later career and death

After leaving Congress, he was appointed a member of the Jersey City Board of Finance and Taxation in 1883-1889, and was appointed by Governor

Leon Abbett Leon Abbett (October 8, 1836December 4, 1894) was an American Democratic Party politician and lawyer who served two nonconsecutive terms as the 26th Governor of New Jersey from 1884 to 1887 and 1890 to 1893. His official state biography refers to ...

as a trustee of the State reform school in 1884. He died in Jersey City on October 5, 1889. He was interred in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

from 1792 to 1841, and was a graduate of that institution. His great-grandfather,

Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh (22 February 1735/6 – 30 October 1790) was an American Dutch Reformed clergyman, colonial and state legislator, and educator. Hardenbergh was a founder of Queen's College—now Rutgers, The State University of New J ...

, helped found Rutgers in 1766 as Queen's College, and served as the institution's first President from 1786 to 1790. His 3rd great-grandfather was

Johannes Hardenbergh Major Johannes Hardenbergh (1670–1745), also known as Sir Johannes Hardenbergh, was the owner of the Hardenbergh patent of land in the Catskill Mountains. Biography He was born in Albany, New York, in 1670. He was Sheriff of Ulster County, New ...

, and the town of

Hardenburgh, New York Hardenburgh is a town located in the western part of Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 221 at the 2020 census. The town is located inside the Catskill Park. History Hardenburgh was established in 1859 from the Towns of ...

is named after him. Hardenbergh is also a descendant of New Paltz Patentee (founder) and Huguenot Louis DuBois, and the

Hasbrouck family The Hasbrouck family was an early immigrant family to Ulster County, New York, and helped found New Paltz, New York. The Hasbrouck family were French Huguenots who fled persecution in France by moving to Germany, and then the United States. ...

of Ulster County, New York. His second cousin, Cornelius A.J. Hardenbergh, was Town Supervisor of

Shawangunk, New York Shawangunk is a town in southwestern Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 13,563 at the 2020 census. The town takes its name from its largest stream, the Shawangunk Kill. The name Shawangunk is from the language of the Lena ...

from 1861 to 1867 and 1876 to 1882, and a member of the New York State Assembly from 1885 to 1886. His third cousin,

Jacob Hardenbergh Jacob Hardenbergh (May 1823 New Paltz, Ulster County, New York – April 29, 1872 Albany, New York) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Life He was the son of Richard Hardenbergh (1791–1870) and Catharine Maria (Crispell) Hard ...

, served as a New York State Senator from 1870 to 1872.

Notes

References

External links

Augustus Albert Hardenbergh
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations of ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardenbergh, Augustus Albert 1830 births 1889 deaths American people of Dutch descent Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Burials at Mount Pleasant Cemetery (Newark, New Jersey) People from Demarest, New Jersey Politicians from Jersey City, New Jersey Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey Politicians from New Brunswick, New Jersey Hardenbergh family 19th-century American politicians