Theodore Frelinghuysen

Theodore Frelinghuysen
7th President of Rutgers University
In office
1850–1862
Preceded byAbraham Bruyn Hasbrouck
Succeeded byWilliam Campbell
2nd Chancellor of New York University
In office
1839–1850
Preceded byJames M. Mathews
Succeeded byIsaac Ferris
2nd Mayor of Newark
In office
November 10, 1837 – November 10, 1838
Preceded byWilliam Halsey
Succeeded byJames Miller
United States Senator
from New Jersey
In office
March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1835
Preceded byMahlon Dickerson
Succeeded byGarret D. Wall
12th Attorney General of New Jersey
In office
February 6, 1817 – March 4, 1829
GovernorIsaac Halstead Williamson
Preceded byAaron Woodruff
Succeeded bySamuel L. Southard
Personal details
Born(1787-03-28)March 28, 1787
Franklin Township, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedApril 12, 1862(1862-04-12) (aged 75)
New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyFederalist (Before 1829)
National Republican (1829–1834)
Whig (1834–1854)
Spouses
Charlotte Mercer
(m. 1809, died)
Harriet Pumpelly
(m. 1857⁠–⁠1862)
RelativesFrelinghuysen family
Frederick Frelinghuysen (Father)
EducationPrinceton University (BA)
Signature

Theodore Frelinghuysen (March 28, 1787 – April 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.

Born in Somerset County, New Jersey, Frelinghuysen established a legal practice in Newark, New Jersey, after graduating from the College of New Jersey. He was the son of Senator Frederick Frelinghuysen and the adoptive father of Secretary of State Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen. He served as the New Jersey Attorney General from 1817 to 1829 and as a United States Senator from 1829 to 1835. In the Senate, Frelinghuysen strongly opposed President Andrew Jackson's policy of Indian removal. After leaving the Senate, he served as the Mayor of Newark from 1837 to 1838.

Frelinghuysen was selected as Clay's running mate at the 1844 Whig National Convention. In the 1844 election, the Whig ticket was narrowly defeated by the Democratic ticket of James K. Polk and George M. Dallas. Frelinghuysen served as president of New York University from 1839 to 1850, and as president of Rutgers College from 1850 to 1862. Upon its incorporation in 1848, Frelinghuysen Township, New Jersey, was named after him.[1]