Garret Dorset Wall (March 10, 1783November 22, 1850) was a military officer and Senator 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 ...

. He was elected as

governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...

, but refused to assume office.

Early career

Born in Middletown Township, he completed preparatory studies, studied law, was licensed as an attorney in 1804 and as a counselor in 1807, and commenced practice in Burlington, New Jersey. He served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

and commanded a volunteer regiment from Trenton.

Politics

He was clerk of the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging th ...

from 1812 to 1817, and was Quartermaster General of New Jersey from 1815 to 1837. He was a member of the

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 f ...

in 1827 and was

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in 1829; Wall was elected

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...

in 1829, but declined to serve; he was then elected as a Jacksonian (later, 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 U.S. Senate and served from March 4, 1835, to March 3, 1841; he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on the Militia (Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Congresses) and a member of the Committees on the Judiciary (Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth Congresses) and Military Affairs (Twenty-fifth Congress). Wall was a judge of the

New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals Prior to 1947, the structure of the judiciary in New Jersey was extremely complex, including Court of Errors and Appeals in the last resort in all causes. The Court of Errors and Appeals was the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey from ...

of New Jersey from 1848 until his death in Burlington in 1850. He was buried in Saint Mary's Episcopal Churchyard in Burlington.

Relatives

Garret D. Wall was the father of James Walter Wall, also a U.S. Senator from New Jersey. His daughter Maria Matilda Wall was the wife of

Peter Dumont Vroom Peter Dumont Vroom (December 12, 1791 – November 18, 1873), an American Democratic Party politician, served as the ninth governor of New Jersey (serving two terms in office; from 1829–1832 and 1833–1836) and as a member of the Unit ...

and mother of Peter D. Vroom.

Legacy

Wall Township, New Jersey Wall Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. It is located in the New York Metropolitan Area and is a bedroom community of New York. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 26,164, refl ...

is named in his honor.Hutchinson, Viola L
''The Origin of New Jersey Place Names''
New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed October 20, 2015.

References

External links

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 o ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wall, Garret D. 1783 births 1850 deaths People from Middletown Township, New Jersey American Episcopalians Jacksonian United States senators from New Jersey Democratic Party United States senators from New Jersey Democratic Party governors of New Jersey Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly New Jersey Jacksonians Justices of the Supreme Court of New Jersey United States Attorneys for the District of New Jersey Quartermasters General of New Jersey New Jersey lawyers American militiamen in the War of 1812 American militia officers Burials in New Jersey 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians