Frederick T. Frelinghuysen

Frederick T. Frelinghuysen
Frelinghuysen c. 1865–80
29th United States Secretary of State
In office
December 19, 1881 – March 6, 1885
PresidentChester A. Arthur
Grover Cleveland
Preceded byJames G. Blaine
Succeeded byThomas F. Bayard
United States Senator
from New Jersey
In office
March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1877
Preceded byAlexander G. Cattell
Succeeded byJohn R. McPherson
In office
November 12, 1866 – March 3, 1869
Preceded byWilliam Wright
Succeeded byJohn P. Stockton
22nd Attorney General of New Jersey
In office
1861–1867
GovernorCharles Smith Olden
Joel Parker
Marcus Lawrence Ward
Preceded byWilliam L. Dayton
Succeeded byGeorge M. Robeson
Personal details
Born
Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen

(1817-08-04)August 4, 1817
Millstone, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedMay 20, 1885(1885-05-20) (aged 67)
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyWhig (Before 1860)
Republican (1860–death)
Spouse
Matilda Griswold
(m. 1842)
Children6, including Frederick, George
RelativesFrelinghuysen family
EducationRutgers University, New Brunswick (BA)
Signature

Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen (August 4, 1817 – May 20, 1885)[1] 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.[2]

Frelinghuysen was born in Millstone, New Jersey, and was adopted by his uncle Theodore Frelinghuysen after his father's death. He graduated from Rutgers College and studied law under his uncle. Frelinghuysen was involved in various political roles, including serving as a delegate to the 1860 Republican National Convention and as Attorney General of New Jersey. He was also appointed to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate.

In 1870, Frelinghuysen was nominated as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom but declined the position. He served again as a U.S. Senator from 1871 to 1877, and in 1881, was appointed U.S. Secretary of State by President Chester A. Arthur, serving until 1885. During his tenure, he withdrew the U.S. from the War of the Pacific and negotiated a treaty change with Hawaii, allowing for a naval base at Pearl Harbor.

After his term as Secretary of State, Frelinghuysen returned to Newark, New Jersey, where he died three months later. He married Matilda Elizabeth Griswold in 1842, with whom he had six children. Frelinghuysen University in Washington D.C. was named in his honor in 1917.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference FTFObit1885 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "FRELINGHUYSEN, Frederick Theodore - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 30 January 2018.