Theodore Strong (January 15, 1863 – December 24, 1928) was an American lawyer and politician.
Early life
Strong was born on January 15, 1863, in
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. He was the third son of Harriet Anna (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Hartwell) Strong (1827–1909) and Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge Strong (1827–1907), presiding justice of the Court of Common Pleas of Middlesex County. Among his older siblings was brothers Edward Woodbridge Strong; Alan Hartwell Strong, who married Susan De Lancey Cullen Van Rensselaer; and Joseph Maltby Strong. Reportedly, his father caught "
gold fever
A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Ze ...
" in 1849, and journeyed to California, and is "credited with being among the pioneers who made gold discoveries in Oregon."
His paternal grandfather was the prominent mathematician, Theodore Strong, who was raised by his wealthy uncle
Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge
Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge (March 5, 1739March 8, 1819) was an American physician, lawyer, farmer, and military officer who served as a colonel in the Massachusetts militia during the American Revolutionary War.''Massachusetts Soldiers and S ...
(the namesake of his father). Through his father, he was a direct descendant of Governor
Thomas Dudley
Thomas Dudley (12 October 157631 July 1653) was a New England colonial magistrate who served several terms as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Dudley was the chief founder of Newtowne, later Cambridge, Massachusetts, and built the tow ...
, and Rev.
John Woodbridge
John Woodbridge VI (1613–1696) was an English nonconformist, who emigrated to New England. He had positions on both sides of the Atlantic, until 1663, when he settled permanently in New England.
Life
John Woodbridge VI was born at Stanton, nea ...
, who came to Massachusetts in 1634. Through his mother, he was a descendant of William Hartwell, who came to
Plymouth County, Massachusetts
Plymouth County is a county in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, south of Boston. As of the 2020 census, the population was 530,819. Its county seats are Plymouth and Brockton. In 1685, the county was created by the Plymouth General Court, th ...
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...
as a member of the class of 1883.
Career
After studying law under his father at Woodbridge, Strong & Sons (founded in 1852), he was
admitted to the bar
An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
in June 1886, and as a counselor in June 1889. When his father became a judge, the firm was dissolved and he formed a new firm with his brother Alan, known as Strong & Strong, and practiced until his death in 1928. In September 1912, after his brother Alan moved to Philadelphia and became General Counsel for the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company
The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
, Theodore became solicitor for the company in New Jersey and "wholly withdrew from politics."
In November 1900, Strong was elected in a Republican wave to the
New Jersey State Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...
to represent
Middlesex County, New Jersey
Middlesex County is located in central New Jersey, United States, extending inland from the Raritan Valley region to the northern portion of the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 United States Census, the county's population was enumerated at 863,1 ...
defeating the incumbent Democratic candidate, and former mayor of New Brunswick, James H. Van Cleef, with 9,283 to 7,327. Strong had secured the Republican nomination in October after thirty-seven ballots. He was succeeded in the Senate by fellow Republican William Howard Crosby Jackson. In addition, Strong served two terms as a member of the Republican State Committee, served on the executive committee and "was a member of the coterie of Republican State Leaders once known as 'The Big Four'". In April 1903, he was appointed by Governor Franklin Murphy as a member of the New Jersey State Board of Assessors and later served as its president for several years.
Personal life
On March 21, 1900, Strong was married to Cornelia Livingston Van Rensselaer (1879–1956). Cornelia, a graduate of the Misses Fenimore Coopers' School in
Albany, New York
Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...
, was the daughter of Visscher Van Rensselaer and Mary Augusta Miller (née Van Rensselaer) and a great-granddaughter of
Jeremiah Van Rensselaer
Jeremiah Van Rensselaer (August 27, 1738February 19, 1810), from the prominent Van Rensselaer family, was Lieutenant Governor of New York and a member of Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing New York in the 1st United Sta ...
a
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
and the former
Lieutenant Governor of New York
The lieutenant governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket wit ...
. Together, Theodore and Cornelia lived at "Stronghold" at 272 Hamilton Street in New Brunswick and were the parents of six sons and two daughters:
* Theodore Strong (1901–1978).
* Cornelia Livingston Van Rensselaer Strong (1902–1989), who served as a president of the New York chapter of the
Colonial Dames of America
The Colonial Dames of America (CDA) is an American organization composed of women who are descended from an ancestor who lived in British America from 1607 to 1775, and was of service to the colonies by either holding public office, being in th ...
.
* Katharine Van Rensselaer Strong (b. 1904), who married Morrison Ulman.
* Stephen Van Rensselaer Strong (1906–1975), who married Marianne Schappert.
* Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge Strong (1910–1997), who married Julie Maxilienne DeViry (1919–2000), a native of
Thonon-les-Bains
Thonon-les-Bains (; frp, Tonon), often simply referred to as Thonon, is a subprefecture of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. In 2018, the commune had a population of 35,241. Thonon-les-Bains is ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
who was a daughter of Baron Humbert and Baroness Delphine Marie deViry.
* John Van Rensselaer Strong (1912–1990), who married Nancy (née Jones)
de Rohan
The House of Rohan ( br, Roc'han) is a Breton family of viscounts, later dukes and princes in the French nobility, coming from the locality of Rohan in Brittany. Their line descends from the viscounts of Porhoët and is said to trace back to ...
.
* Robert Livingston Strong (1914–2007), who married Mary Johnston Sutherland (1924–2006).
* Philip Livingston Strong (1918–1998), who married Sally Ann Borthwick (1928-2013).
Strong died at his home in New Brunswick on December 24, 1928, after several days suffering "from the grip" (today known as
influenza
Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...
). His funeral was held at his home and was conducted by Dr.
William Henry Steele Demarest
William Henry Steele Demarest (May 12, 1863 – June 23, 1956) was an American Dutch Reformed Minister (Christianity), minister and the eleventh President of Rutgers University, Rutgers College (now Rutgers University) serving from 1906 to 19 ...
, then president of the
New Brunswick Theological Seminary
New Brunswick Theological Seminary is a Reformed Christian seminary with its main campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It was founded in 1784 and is one of the oldest seminaries in the United States. It is a seminary of the Reformed Church in Ame ...
and former
president of Rutgers University
The President of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (informally called Rutgers University) is the chief administrator of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Rutgers was founded by clergymen affiliated with the Dutch Reformed ...