Thomas Nesbitt McCarter (October 20, 1867 – October 23, 1955) was an American lawyer who served as the
Attorney General of New Jersey
The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confirmed by the New Jersey Senate, and term limited. ...
from 1902 until 1903, resigning to organize the
Public Service Corporation of New Jersey
Transport of New Jersey (TNJ), earlier Public Service Transportation and then Public Service Coordinated Transport, was a street railway and bus company in the U.S. state of New Jersey from 1917 to 1980, when NJ Transit took over their operations ...
. He served as its president for 36 years, as it became one of the biggest public utilities companies in the United States.
Early life and education
McCarter was born in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Newark Academy
Newark Academy is a coeducational private day school located in Livingston, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in sixth through twelfth grades. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Col ...
and
Pingry School
The Pingry School is a coeducational, independent, college preparatory country day school in New Jersey, with a Lower School (K–5) campus in the Short Hills neighborhood of Millburn, and a Middle (6–8) and Upper School (9–12) campus ...
, he entered
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
, graduating in 1888.
McCarter studied law at
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...
. He started practice with his father's law firm, McCarter & Keen, founded in 1845 in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.
Marriage and family
After starting work with his brother and brother-in-law, McCarter married and had several children, including Thomas N. McCarter, Jr.; and Ellen McCarter, who married
Nelson Doubleday
Nelson Doubleday (June 16, 1889 – January 11, 1949) was a U.S. book publisher and president of Doubleday Company from 1922–1946. His father Frank Nelson Doubleday had founded the business. His son Nelson Doubleday Jr. followed him i ...
. He became president of the publishing firm his father founded.
Career
McCarter and his brother Robert, along with their brother-in-law Edwin B. Williamson, renamed their law firm in 1891 as McCarter, Williamson & McCarter (later it was known as McCarter & English)."150 Years of Briefs, Torts And the Occasional Celebrity" ''
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 ...
'', May 14, 1995. Accessed June 26, 2008.
In 1896 McCarter was appointed judge of the First District Court in Newark, resigning in 1899. That year he was elected to the
New Jersey 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, ...
, where he served as majority leader.
Also in 1899 he began his own practice, founding the firm of McCarter & Adams with Edwin G. Adams. He ended his partnership with Adams in 1902 to serve as general counsel for the Fidelity Trust Company of Newark.
Later in 1902 he was nominated by Governor Franklin Murphy as
Attorney General of New Jersey
The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confirmed by the New Jersey Senate, and term limited. ...
and was immediately confirmed.Official bio Office of the
Attorney General of New Jersey
The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confirmed by the New Jersey Senate, and term limited. ...
. Accessed June 26, 2008. McCarter served only one year of his five-year term before resigning in 1903. He had been appointed to organize the
Public Service Corporation of New Jersey
Transport of New Jersey (TNJ), earlier Public Service Transportation and then Public Service Coordinated Transport, was a street railway and bus company in the U.S. state of New Jersey from 1917 to 1980, when NJ Transit took over their operations ...
, which would become one the nation's largest public utilities. Governor Murphy appointed his brother,
Robert H. McCarter
Robert Harris McCarter (April 28, 1859 – May 30, 1941) was an American lawyer who served as the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1903 until 1908, succeeding his brother Thomas N. McCarter.
McCarter was born in Newton, New Jersey, in 1859 to ...
, to succeed him as Attorney General.
McCarter became the first president of the Public Service Corporation; he served in that position for 36 years, resigning in 1945 on his 78th birthday. Under his guidance, the corporation expanded its control from trolley lines to the management of the state's gas, electric and transportation facilities. In 1948 it was renamed the
Public Service Electric and Gas Company
The Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) is a publicly traded diversified energy company headquartered in Newark, New Jersey and was established in 1985 with a legacy dating back to 1903.
The company's largest subsidiary is Public Service Elect ...
.
McCarter died in 1955 at his home in
Rumson
Rumson is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough’s population was 7,343, reflecting a 3.1% increase from the 7,122 enumera ...
at the age of 88. He was interred in the McCarter mausoleum in the cemetery located along Rumson Road in Rumson, NJ. His wife, Madeleine Barker McCarter, is also interred in this mausoleum.Red Bank Register, Dec. 19, 1957
Legacy and honors
*McCarter Theatre at Princeton University was named in his honor; he was a major benefactor for the new project."T.N. M'Carter Sr., Founded Utility" ''
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 ...
'', October 24, 1955. Accessed June 26, 2008.
*
McCarter Highway
Route 21 is a state highway in northern New Jersey, running from the Newark Airport Interchange with U.S. Route 1/9 (US 1-9) and US 22 in Newark, Essex County to an interchange with US 46 in Clifton, Passaic County. The route ...
was named for him; it is a major artery that runs from Downtown Newark to Belleville.
*Nesbitt St. in Newark is named for him.
*The field by Viola L. Sickles Elementary in Fair Haven is named McCarter Park. At the Intersection of Willow St. and Fair Haven Rd. is a brick gate that reads
Rumson
Rumson is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough’s population was 7,343, reflecting a 3.1% increase from the 7,122 enumera ...
Hill. It marks the entrance to McCarter's estate, the path of which traces Buttonwood Lane in Fair Haven and Sycamore Lane in Rumson. Both streets are bordered with buttonwood trees. The Buttonwood Lane portion also passes a pond on Fair Haven Rd. called McCarter pond, which was installed for ornamental use and is used for fishing and skating.