Mount Pleasant Cemetery is a historic

rural cemetery A rural cemetery or garden cemetery is a style of cemetery that became popular in the United States and Europe in the mid-nineteenth century due to the overcrowding and health concerns of urban cemeteries. They were typically built one to five ...

in the North Ward of

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

Essex County, New Jersey Essex County is located in the northeastern part of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 863,728, making it the state's second-most populous county, behind Bergen and Middlesex Counties.

, United States. It is located on the west bank of the

Passaic River Passaic River ( ) is a river, approximately long, in Northern New Jersey. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey, ...

in Newark's

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

neighborhood, opposite Kearny. It occupies approximately 40 acres (162,000 m²) and was designed by Horace Baldwin. The cemetery is listed on both the

New Jersey Register The New Jersey Register is the official journal of the Government of New Jersey that contains information on proposed regulations and rulemaking activities. It is published semimonthly by the state's Office of the Administrative Law. The firs ...

(ID #1284, since 1987) and the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

(Reference #87000836, since 1988). NewarkNJ MountPleasantCemetery 2

The graves of some of Newark's most eminent citizens are within Mount Pleasant Cemetery. The cemetery is dominated by the marble mausoleum of John Fairfield Dryden, the founder of

Prudential Financial Prudential Financial, Inc. is an American Fortune Global 500 and Fortune 500 company whose subsidiaries provide insurance, retirement planning, investment management, and other products and services to both retail and institutional customers t ...

. Other notable interments include

Marcus Lawrence Ward Marcus Lawrence Ward (November 9, 1812 – April 25, 1884) was an American Republican Party politician, who served as the 21st governor of New Jersey from 1866 to 1869 and represented Essex County for one term from 1873 to 1875. Early life Marc ...

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 res ...

;

Seth Boyden Seth Boyden (November 17, 1788 – March 31, 1870) was an American inventor. Early life He was born in Foxboro, Massachusetts, on November 17, 1788, the son of Seth Boyden and Susannah Atherton. His father was a farmer and blacksmith. His yo ...

, inventor of

patent leather Patent leather is a type of coated leather that has a high-gloss finish. The coating process was introduced to the United States and improved by inventor Seth Boyden, of Newark, New Jersey, in 1818, with commercial manufacture beginning Septe ...

; and Mary Stillman, first wife of

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventio ...

. Mount Pleasant also contains graves of members of the Kinney, Ballantine, and Frelinghuysen families. The cemetery itself was opened and incorporated in 1844, but there are graves that date back to the mid-17th century, which were moved from older graveyards that were crowded out due to development.

Notable burials

Peter Ballantine Peter Ballantine (November 16, 1791 – January 23, 1883) was the founder of Patterson & Ballantine Brewing Company in 1840 in Newark, New Jersey, United States. Early life He was born on November 16, 1791, in Dundee, Scotland. He decided t ...

(1791–1883) *

(1788–1870), inventor of

Joseph Philo Bradley Joseph Philo Bradley (March 14, 1813 – January 22, 1892) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1870 to 1892. He was also a member of the Electoral Commission that decided ...

(1813–1892),

Associate Justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some state ...

of the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

, served on the

Electoral Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

that decided the disputed 1876 presidential election *

Amanda Minnie Douglas Amanda Minnie Douglas (July 14, 1831 – July 18, 1916) was an Lists of American writers, American writer of adult and Young adult fiction, juvenile fiction. She was probably best remembered by young readers of her day for the ''Little Girl'' and ...

(1831–1916), writer *

John F. Dryden John Fairfield Dryden (August 7, 1839 – November 24, 1911) was the founder of the Prudential Insurance Company and a United States senator from New Jersey. He was known as the "father of industrial insurance". Early life Dryden was born ...

(1839–1911),

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

and founder of

Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen (August 4, 1817May 20, 1885) was an American lawyer and politician from New Jersey who served as a U.S. Senator and later as United States Secretary of State under President Chester A. Arthur. Early life and e ...

(1817–1885), member of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

representing New Jersey and a

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

Charles Alling Gifford Charles Alling Gifford (July 17, 1860 – May 3, 1937) was an American architect and a partner in the New York City firm of Gifford & Bates. He is best remembered for his resort hotels, but also designed houses, churches, and five armories for ...

(1860-1937), architect *

Edward W. Gray Edward Winthrop Gray (August 18, 1870 – June 10, 1942) was an American Republican Party politician who represented New Jersey's 8th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives for two terms from 1915 to 1919. Early ...

(1870–1942), represented

New Jersey's 8th congressional district New Jersey's 8th congressional district is currently represented by Democrat Rob Menendez, who has served in Congress since January 2023. The district is majority Hispanic and includes some of the most urban areas of New Jersey, including par ...

from 1915–1919 * George A. Halsey (1827–1894), represented

New Jersey's 7th congressional district New Jersey's 7th congressional district includes all of Hunterdon and Warren Counties; and parts of Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Union Counties. The district is represented by Republican Thomas Kean Jr., who was first elected in 2022, defe ...

from 1867–1869 and 1871–1873 *

Augustus A. Hardenbergh Augustus Albert Hardenbergh (May 18, 1830 in New Brunswick, New Jersey – October 5, 1889 in Jersey City, New Jersey) was an American Democratic Party politician who represented New Jersey's 7th congressional district in the United States House ...

(1830–1889), represented

from 1875–1879 and 1881–1883 *

Ray Liotta Raymond Allen Liotta (; December 18, 1954 – May 26, 2022) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Shoeless Joe Jackson in ''Field of Dreams'' (1989) and Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's ''Goodfellas'' (1990). He was a Primeti ...

(1954-2022, actor, film producer * Franklin Murphy (1846–1920), 31st

Charles Wolcott Parker Charles Wolcott Parker (1862–1948) was a justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1907 to 1947. He presided at the 1926 Hall–Mills murder trial and wrote a 1935 unanimous opinion upholding the Bruno Richard Hauptmann murder conviction. Ch ...

(1862–1948), Associate Justice of the

Supreme Court of New Jersey The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the supreme court, 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 ...

from 1907–1947 *

Thomas Baldwin Peddie Thomas Baldwin Peddie (February 11, 1808 – February 16, 1889) was an American Republican politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1877 to 1879. Earlier he was a member of the New Jersey General Asse ...

(1808–1889),

Mayor of Newark The Mayor of Newark is the head of the executive branch of government of Newark, New Jersey, United States. The mayor has the duty to enforce the municipal charter and ordinances; prepare the annual budget; appoint deputy mayors, department he ...

* Alexander C.M. Pennington (1810–1867), represented from 1853–1857Alexander C.M. Pennington
''

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress The ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'' (Bioguide) is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress and its predecessor, the Continental Congress. Also included are Delegates from ...

'' *

William Pennington William Pennington (May 4, 1796 – February 16, 1862) was an American politician and lawyer. He was the 13th governor of New Jersey from 1837 to 1843. He served one term in the United States House of Representatives, during which he served as ...

(1796–1862), 13th Governor of New Jersey and

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

during his single term in Congress * Nehemiah Perry (1816–1881), member of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey, Mayor of Newark *

Theodore Runyon Theodore Runyon (October 29, 1822 – January 27, 1896) was a United States politician, diplomat, and American Civil War brigadier general in the New Jersey Militia, serving with the Union Army at the Battle of First Bull Run. Runyon was a l ...

(1822–1896), Civil War general, Newark mayor, and U.S. ambassador to Germany *

(1812–1884), 21st Governor of New Jersey and represented the state in Congress for one term

References

{{Reflist

External links

Political Graveyard interment information for Mount Pleasant Cemetery

Mount Pleasant Cemetery
at

Find a Grave Find a Grave is a website that allows the public to search and add to an online database of cemetery records. It is owned by Ancestry.com. Its stated mission is "to help people from all over the world work together to find, record and present fin ...

A newarkhistory.com feature on mausoleums of Mt. Pleasant Cemetery

Mount Pleasant Cemetery Home Page
Cemeteries in Newark, New Jersey 1844 establishments in New Jersey Geography of Newark, New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Newark, New Jersey Historic districts in Essex County, New Jersey Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey Rural cemeteries

Notable burials

See also

References

External links