Augustus William Cutler (October 22, 1827 – January 1, 1897) was a 19th-century politician and lawyer from

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 ...

. The great-grandson of

Silas Condict Silas Condict (March 7, 1738 – September 6, 1801) was an American farmer, prominent surveyor, and large landowner from Morris County, New Jersey. He served as a New Jersey delegate to the Continental Congress from 1781 to 1783. Later, he served ...

, he served two terms 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.

Biography

Born at the Cutler Homestead in

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

, Cutler spent the early part of his life on a farm, attended common schools as a child and later

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1850, commencing practice in Morristown. He was

prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the Civil law (legal system), civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the ...

plea In legal terms, a plea is simply an answer to a claim made by someone in a criminal case under common law using the adversarial system. Colloquially, a plea has come to mean the assertion by a defendant at arraignment, or otherwise in response ...

s for

Morris County, New Jersey Morris County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the county's population was enumerated at 509,285,

, from 1856 to 1861, elected president of the board of education in 1870, served in the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as 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, ...

from 1871 to 1874 and was a delegate to the New Jersey constitutional convention in 1873. Cutler was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the

in 1874, serving from 1875 to 1879; he declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1878. He served as chairman of the Committee on Agriculture from 1877 to 1879. Afterward, he resumed practicing law in

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the

in 1880 and 1896. Cutler died in Morristown on January 1, 1897, and was interred in Evergreen Cemetery in Morristown. "Gus" owned property in 14 states, including vast holdings in New Jersey. His wife, Julia Rebecca Walker, was the half-sister of Henry, George and Frederick Walker (Albany, NY; father: Willard Walker). From them, she inherited property in Benton Township, Ohio. The towns of Rocky Ridge, OH and Graytown, OH were founded and developed by Gus and Julia. A substantial collection of papers relating to the Ohio holdings is held by the Ottawa County Historical Museum.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cutler, Augustus W. 1827 births 1897 deaths Democratic Party New Jersey state senators Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey American prosecutors New Jersey lawyers Yale College alumni People from Morristown, New Jersey Burials at Evergreen Cemetery (Morristown, New Jersey) 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers