Robert Gilchrist Jr. (August 21, 1825 – July 6, 1888) was the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1870 to 1875.

Biography

Gilchrist was born in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Robert Gilchrist Robert Gilchrist may refer to: *Robert Gilchrist (basketball) (born 1990), professional basketball player *Robert Gilchrist (mayor) (died 1866), mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey * Robert Gilchrist (cricketer) (1821–1905), Scottish cricketer * Robe ...

and Frances (Fanny) Vacher. His father served as Clerk of Hudson County from 1840 to 1865 and as mayor of Jersey City from 1850 to 1852. He attended private schools, studied law, and was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1847. In 1859 he served in the New Jersey General Assembly.''The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans''
Vol. 4 (1904). At the first call for troops in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Gilchrist enlisted as a Captain in the

2nd New Jersey Regiment The 2nd New Jersey Regiment was raised, on 9 October 1775, at Trenton, New Jersey, for service with the Continental Army under the command of Colonel William Maxwell. The regiment would see action at the Battle of Trois-Rivières, Battle of Va ...

, serving from 1861 to 1865. In 1866, he was the Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives in the Fifth District but was defeated by the Republican

George A. Halsey George Armstrong Halsey (December 7, 1827 – April 1, 1894) was an American Republican Party politician and leather manufacturer from New Jersey, who served two non-consecutive terms representing . Early life and education Born in Sprin ...

. In 1869, Gilchrist was nominated by Governor

Theodore Fitz Randolph Theodore Fitz Randolph (June 24, 1826November 7, 1883) was an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the 22nd governor of New Jersey from 1869 to 1872 and represented the state in the United States Senate from 1875 to 1881. ...

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

. He was reappointed for a full five-year term in January 1870. In 1873, Governor Joel Parker appointed him to a commission assigned to revise the

New Jersey State Constitution The Constitution of the State of New Jersey is the basic governing document of the State of New Jersey. In addition to three British Royal Charters issued for East Jersey, West Jersey and united New Jersey while they were still colonies, the sta ...

. Gilchrist retired from the position of Attorney General in 1875. After serving as Attorney General, Gilchrist returned to private practice in Jersey City. He married late in life to Fredericka Raymond Beardsley, who wrote ''The True Story of Hamlet and Ophelia'' (1889). Gilchrist died at his home in Jersey City in 1888."Obituary, Robert Gilchrist"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', July 7, 1888.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilchrist, Robert 1825 births 1888 deaths Politicians from Jersey City, New Jersey New Jersey attorneys general Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Union Army officers 19th-century American legislators Military personnel from New Jersey 19th-century New Jersey politicians