Joseph Sherman Frelinghuysen Sr. (March 12, 1869 – February 8, 1948) represented New Jersey as a Republican in the United States Senate from 1917 to 1923.

Early life and family

He was born in Raritan, New Jersey, on March 12, 1869, to Frederick Frelinghuysen (1818-1891) and Victoria Bowen (1830-1914). His father was a lawyer who studied under Richard Stockton Field. He came from a historic New Jersey political family. His paternal grandparents were John Frederick Frelinghuysen (1776–1833), a lawyer and brigadier general in the War of 1812, and his second wife, Elizabeth Mercereau Van Vechten. His great-grandparents were Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen (1753-1804), lawyer, soldier, and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from New Jersey, and his first wife, Gertrude Schenck (1752/53-1794).

Career

After fighting in the Spanish–American War and starting an insurance business, Frelinghuysen was elected to the state

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

in 1905 and became president of that body in 1909. He held several statewide offices before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1916. He was New Jersey's first directly elected senator following ratification of the 17th Amendment to the Constitution in 1913. While in the Senate, he frequented the Chevy Chase Club and would often golf with his fellow Senators Warren G. Harding,

Stephen B. Elkins Stephen Benton Elkins (September 26, 1841January 4, 1911) was an American industrialist and politician. He served as the Secretary of War between 1891 and 1893. He served in the United States Congress as a Delegate from the Territory of New Mexi ...

, and Eugene Hale. In 1921, President Warren G. Harding signed the

Knox–Porter Resolution The Knox–Porter Resolution () was a joint resolution of the United States Congress signed by President Warren G. Harding on July 2, 1921, officially ending United States involvement in World War I. The documents were signed on the estate of Jos ...

, officially ending America's involvement in World War I at Frelinghuysen's estate in Raritan, New Jersey. The President stayed on the estate until at least July 4. After a failed reelection bid in 1922, Frelinghuysen returned to the insurance business. In 1938, after considering a run for one of the United States Senate seats in New Jersey, Frelinghuysen declined to run. Instead, he put his support behind fellow Republican, former Senator

W. Warren Barbour William Warren Barbour (July 31, 1888November 22, 1943) was an American Republican Party politician who represented New Jersey in the United States Senate from 1931 to 1937 and again from 1938 until his death in office in 1943. He was also a bus ...

, for the Republican nomination. Barbour eventually won the Senate seat and served until his death in 1943.

Personal life

Frelinghuysen married Emily Macy Brewster. Together they had three children: *Victoria Frelinghuysen (1907–2002), who married John Grenville Bates Jr. *Emily Frelinghuysen, who married H. Edward Bilkey until his death in 1950 and later married Dr. Ross A. McFarland of the Harvard School of Public Health. * Joseph S. Frelinghuysen Jr. (1912–2005), who married Emily Lawrance (1911-2004), the daughter of

Charles Lawrance Charles Lanier Lawrance (September 30, 1882 – June 24, 1950) was an American aeronautical engineer and an early proponent of air-cooled aircraft engines. Early life Lawrance was born on September 30, 1882 in Lenox, Massachusetts, the son of Fr ...

(1882–1950) and Emily Margaret Gordon Dix, and the granddaughter of Rev. Morgan Dix (1827–1908), the rector of Trinity Parish. His wife's portrait and that of Joseph Jr, were painted in 1916 by the Swiss-born American artist Adolfo Müller-Ury; it is today in the Newark Museum, New Jersey. Frelinghuysen owned an 88-foot houseboat called ''Victoria'' that Harding used for 12 days after he won the 1920 election for President, but before he was inaugurated in March 1921. He died on February 8, 1948, in Tucson, Arizona, and was interred at St. Bernard's Cemetery in Bernardsville, New Jersey.

Legacy

A memorial plaque was placed on the estate grounds commemorating the

officially ending America's involvement in World War I. Today the estate is long gone and

suburban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

has replaced it with mini-malls. The marker remains in a patch of grass near a

Burger King Burger King (BK) is an American-based multinational chain store, chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based res ...

parking lot along

Route 28 Highway 28 may refer to: Australia * Cumberland Highway * Mountain Highway (Victoria) * - NT Canada * Alberta Highway 28 * British Columbia Highway 28 * Nova Scotia Trunk 28 * Ontario Highway 28 * Saskatchewan Highway 28 China Taiwan * Provi ...

, just north of the Somerville traffic circle.

References

External links

* Barbour, Thomas (nephew of William Warren Barbour). ''Our Families (Volumes 1 & 2)''. Self-printed. 1983 * Hess, Stephen. ''America's Political Dynasties: From Adams to Clinton''. Brookings Institution Press, Nov 24, 2015
Joseph Sherman Frelinghuysen Sr.
at Findagrave {{DEFAULTSORT:Frelinghuysen, Joseph S. Sr. 1869 births 1948 deaths Republican Party New Jersey state senators Frelinghuysen family Republican Party United States senators from New Jersey American people of Dutch descent Raritan, New Jersey People from Raritan, New Jersey Presidents of the New Jersey Senate Military personnel from New Jersey American military personnel of the Spanish–American War 20th-century American politicians