Frederick Frelinghuysen (1753-1804) in Weston Burying Ground, Manville, Somerset County, New Jersey

Frederick Frelinghuysen (April 13, 1753April 13, 1804) was an American lawyer, soldier, and senator from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. A graduate of the College of New Jersey (now

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

), Frederick went on to become an officer during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. In addition, he served as a delegate to the Continental Congress. He was a

United States Senator 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 powe ...

from New Jersey from 1793 until 1796, and served as the

United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey The U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey is the chief federal law enforcement officer in New Jersey. On December 16, 2021, Philip R. Sellinger was sworn in as U.S. Attorney. The U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey has juris ...

in 1801.

Early life

He was born near Somerville in the

Province of New Jersey The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1783. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland but came under English rule after t ...

to John Frelinghuysen (1727–1754) of

Flatbush, Brooklyn Flatbush is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood consists of several subsections in central Brooklyn and is generally bounded by Prospect Park to the north, East Flatbush to the east, Midwood to the south, ...

and Dinah Van Berg (1725–1807) of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

. His father, John, was the son of the immigrant minister

Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen ( – ) was a Dutch-American Dutch Reformed minister, theologian and the progenitor of the Frelinghuysen family in the United States of America. Frelinghuysen is most remembered for his religious contribution ...

, the progenitor of the Frelinghuysen family in New Jersey. He graduated from the College of New Jersey (now

) in 1770, and was the sole instructor at Queen's College, New Brunswick (now

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

) from 1771 to 1774. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1774, practicing law in Somerset County, New Jersey.

Military and political career

With the coming of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, he became a member of the

provincial congress of New Jersey The Provincial Congress of New Jersey was a transitional governing body of the Province of New Jersey in the early part of the American Revolution. It first met in 1775 with representatives from all New Jersey's then-thirteen counties, to supersed ...

from 1775 to 1776. In the

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he served in the

New Jersey militia The New Jersey Line was a formation within the Continental Army. A "New Jersey Line" was the quota of numbered infantry regiments that the Congress of the Confederacy assigned to New Jersey at various times. New Jersey Line, 1776 The first two ...

as an artillery captain, seeing action at Trenton and Monmouth. In 1779 he served as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. He served as a clerk to the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

of Somerset County, New Jersey from 1781 to 1789. He also served in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

in 1784 and again from 1800 to 1804. He was a member of the New Jersey convention that ratified the United States Constitution in 1787. He was a member of the

New Jersey Legislative Council The New Jersey Legislative Council was the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature under the New Jersey Constitution of 1776 until it was replaced by the New Jersey Senate under the Constitution of 1844. History The Legislative Council replaced ...

(now the New Jersey Senate) representing Somerset County from 1790 to 1792. President

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appointed him as

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in the

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for the 1790 campaign against the western Indians. Frelinghuysen was elected to 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 ...

and served from March 4, 1793 to November 12, 1796, when he resigned. He was commissioned

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

in the New Jersey militia in 1794, during the

Whiskey Rebellion The Whiskey Rebellion (also known as the Whiskey Insurrection) was a violent tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during the presidency of George Washington. The so-called "whiskey tax" was the first tax impo ...

Personal life

He married Gertrude Schenck (1753–1794), the daughter of Helena Magdalena Van Liew and Hendrick (Henry) Joahnnes Schenck. Together, they had five children: * General John Frelinghuysen (1776–1833) * Maria Frelinghuysen (1778–1832) *

Theodore Frelinghuysen Theodore Frelinghuysen (March 28, 1787April 12, 1862) was an American politician who represented New Jersey in the United States Senate. He was the Whig vice presidential nominee in the election of 1844, running on a ticket with Henry Clay. Bo ...

(1787–1862), a lawyer and New Jersey politician * Frederick Frelinghuysen (1788–1820) *Catharine Frelinghuysen (1790-1865) After his first wife Gertrude's death in 1794, Frederick Sr. married Ann Yard (1764–1839). Frelinghuysen died in

Millstone, New Jersey Millstone is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. It was originally known as Somerset Courthouse and was the county seat. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 418,

on April 13, 1804, his 51st birthday, and was buried at the Weston Burying Ground on the border of Manville, New Jersey and Bound Brook, New Jersey. His tombstone reads as follows:

Descendants

Among his other descendants are

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 ...

(1817–1885), U.S. Senator and Secretary of State; Joseph Sherman Frelinghuysen (1869–1948) US Senator from New Jersey; Peter Frelinghuysen, Jr. (1916–2011) New Jersey Congressman; and

Rodney Frelinghuysen Rodney Procter Frelinghuysen (born April 29, 1946) is an American former politician and lobbyist who served as the U.S. representative for from 1995 to 2019. The district includes most of Morris County, an affluent suburban county west of New ...

(born 1946) New Jersey Congressman.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Frelinghuysen, Frederick 1753 births 1804 deaths Politicians from Somerville, New Jersey People of colonial New Jersey Frelinghuysen family American people of Dutch descent Continental Congressmen from New Jersey Pro-Administration Party United States senators from New Jersey Federalist Party United States senators from New Jersey New Jersey Federalists Members of the New Jersey General Assembly Members of the New Jersey Legislative Council United States Attorneys for the District of New Jersey Rutgers University faculty Princeton University alumni Continental Army officers from New Jersey New Jersey militiamen in the American Revolution American militia generals Burials in New Jersey