John Chandler Rafferty (December 29, 1816 – December 30, 1880) was an American politician. Rafferty was born in

Woodbury Woodbury may refer to: Geography Antarctica *Woodbury Glacier, a glacier on Graham Land, British Antarctic Territory Australia * Woodbury, Tasmania, a locality in Australia England * Woodbury, Bournemouth, an area in Dorset *Woodbury, East Devo ...

, N. J., December 29, 1816. His father, the Rev. William Rafferty,

D.D. A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ra ...

, was born in Ireland, educated at

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, removed to America, married Miss Chandler, of Orange County, N. J., lived for a time in Woodbury, and was principal of St. John's College,

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

, Md., from 1824 until his death in 1831. John Rafferty graduated from

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, ...

in 1835. After graduation, he attended lectures in the

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

, and continued his preparation in the office of O.W. Ogden, Esq., New York City, where he was admitted to the bar in 1838. In 1841, he married Laura E. Ogden, by whom he had two sons and two daughters. From the time of his marriage until 1862, he resided near

Germantown Germantown or German Town may refer to: Places Australia * Germantown, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region United States * Germantown, California, the former name of Artois, a census-designated place in Glenn County * Ger ...

, and during this period held for three years the office of

New York State Senator The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan compo ...

; in 1860 he was elected Secretary of the Senate, and was one of the delegates at large to the memorable convention at Charleston. In 1862 he removed to Flemington, N.J. In 1863 he was admitted counsellor, and was appointed by Gov. Joel Parker the military agent for New Jersey; this position he occupied for three years at Washington. In 1867 he was elected to the office of County Superintendent of Schools. In 1872 he was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Court of Common Pleas, and in 1877 was made Prosecutor of the Pleas. On the evening of December 30, 1880, he was without warning stricken by paralysis. He did not return to consciousness, but died early the next morning. His wife died in 1864; one daughter and two sons survived their parents.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:rafferty, john chandler 1816 births 1880 deaths Politicians from Woodbury, New Jersey Yale College alumni Harvard Law School alumni New York (state) lawyers New York (state) state senators New Jersey local politicians New Jersey lawyers 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American lawyers