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-19th century due to the overcrowding and health concerns of urban cemeteries, which tended to be churchyards. Rural cemeter ...

in the North Ward of Newark in

Essex County, New Jersey Essex County is located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey, and is one of the centrally located counties in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's second-most populous county,< ...

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

Passaic River The Passaic River ( or ) is a river, approximately long, in North Jersey, 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 suburb ...

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 Stre ...

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 (ID #1284, since 1987) and the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

(Reference #87000836, since 1988). 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 financial services company whose subsidiaries provide insurance, retirement planning, investment management, and other products and services to both Investor#Retail_investor, retail and institutional cus ...

. 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 Mar ...

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...

;

Seth Boyden Seth Boyden (November 17, 1788 – March 31, 1870) was an American inventor. Boyden perfected the process for making patent leather, created malleable iron, invented a nail-making machine, and built his own steamboat. He is also credited wi ...

, inventor of

patent leather Patent leather is a type of coated leather that has a high-gloss finish. In general, patent leather is fine grain leather that is treated to give it a glossy appearance. Characterized by a glass-like finish that catches the light, patent leath ...

; and Mary Stillman, first wife of

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February11, 1847October18, 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 inventions, ...

. 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 (1791–1883) *

(1788–1870), inventor of

* Joseph Philo Bradley (1813–1892),

Associate Justice An 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 ...

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 Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

, 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 (1831–1916), writer * John F. Dryden (1839–1911),

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

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. Frelinghuysen was ...

(1817–1885), member of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

representing New Jersey and a

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) 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 secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the ...

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 (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 pa ...

from 1915 to 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, de ...

from 1867 to 1869 and 1871–1873 * Augustus A. Hardenbergh (1830–1889), represented

from 1875 to 1879 and 1881–1883 *

Ray Liotta Raymond Allen Liotta (; December 18, 1954 – May 26, 2022) was an American actor. He first gained attention for his role in the film '' Something Wild'' (1986), which earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination. He was best known for his portray ...

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

* Charles Wolcott Parker (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 cha ...

from 1907 to 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 Assembly ...

(1808–1889), Mayor of Newark * Alexander C.M. Pennington (1810–1867), represented from 1853 to 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 fr ...

'' *

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 Hung ...

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 (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

External links

Political Graveyard interment information for Mount Pleasant Cemetery

Mount Pleasant Cemetery
at Find a Grave
A newarkhistory.com feature on mausoleums of Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
* {{usurped,
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 Cemeteries established in the 1840s

Notable burials

See also

References

External links