Theodore Strong (New Jersey politician)

Theodore Strong (January 15, 1863 – December 24, 1928) was an American lawyer and politician.

Theodore Strong
Member of the New Jersey Senate
from Middlesex County
In office
January 1, 1900 – December 31, 1903
Preceded byJames H. Van Cleef
Succeeded byWilliam H. C. Jackson
Personal details
Born(1863-01-15)January 15, 1863
New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedDecember 24, 1928(1928-12-24) (aged 65)
New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Cornelia Livingston Van Rensselaer
​
​
(m. 1900; his death 1928)​
RelationsTheodore Strong (grandfather)
Children8
ParentsWoodbridge Strong
Harriet Hartwell Strong
Alma materRutgers University

Early life

Strong was born on January 15, 1863 in New Brunswick, New Jersey.[1] He was the third son of Harriet Anna (née Hartwell) Strong (1827–1909) and Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge Strong (1827–1907),[2] presiding justice of the Court of Common Pleas of Middlesex County.[3] Among his older siblings was brothers Edward Woodbridge Strong; Alan Hartwell Strong, who married Susan De Lancey Cullen Van Rensselaer;[4] and Joseph Maltby Strong.[5] Reportedly, his father caught "gold fever" in 1849, and journeyed to California, and is "credited with being among the pioneers who made gold discoveries in Oregon."[6]

His paternal grandfather was the prominent mathematician, Theodore Strong, who was raised by his wealthy uncle Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge (the namesake of his father).[5] Through his father, he was a direct descendant of Governor Thomas Dudley,[7] and Rev. John Woodbridge, who came to Massachusetts in 1634.[8] Through his mother, he was a descendant of William Hartwell, who came to Plymouth County, Massachusetts in 1636.[6]

Strong received his education at Rutgers College Grammar School and graduated from Rutgers University as a member of the class of 1883.[1]

Career

After studying law under his father at Woodbridge, Strong & Sons (founded in 1852), he was admitted to the bar in June 1886, and as a counselor in June 1889.[9] When his father became a judge, the firm was dissolved and he formed a new firm with his brother Alan, known as Strong & Strong, and practiced until his death in 1928.[1] In September 1912, after his brother Alan moved to Philadelphia and became General Counsel for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Theodore became solicitor for the company in New Jersey and "wholly withdrew from politics."[10]

In November 1900, Strong was elected in a Republican wave to the New Jersey State Senate to represent Middlesex County, New Jersey defeating the incumbent Democratic candidate, and former mayor of New Brunswick, James H. Van Cleef,[11] with 9,283 to 7,327.[12][13] Strong had secured the Republican nomination in October after thirty-seven ballots.[14] He was succeeded in the Senate by fellow Republican William Howard Crosby Jackson.[15] In addition, Strong served two terms as a member of the Republican State Committee, served on the executive committee and "was a member of the coterie of Republican State Leaders once known as 'The Big Four'".[10] In April 1903, he was appointed by Governor Franklin Murphy as a member of the New Jersey State Board of Assessors and later served as its president for several years.[10]

Personal life

On March 21, 1900, Strong was married to Cornelia Livingston Van Rensselaer (1879–1956).[16] Cornelia, a graduate of the Misses Fenimore Coopers' School in Albany, New York, was the daughter of Visscher Van Rensselaer and Mary Augusta Miller (née Van Rensselaer) and a great-granddaughter of Jeremiah Van Rensselaer a U.S. Representative and the former Lieutenant Governor of New York.[9][17] Together, Theodore and Cornelia lived at "Stronghold" at 272 Hamilton Street in New Brunswick and were the parents of six sons and two daughters:

  • Theodore Strong (1901–1978), who did not marry.[18]
  • Cornelia Livingston Van Rensselaer Strong (1902–1989), who did not marry and who served as a president of the New York chapter of the Colonial Dames of America.[19]
  • Katharine Van Rensselaer Strong (b. 1904), who married Morrison Ulman.
  • Stephen Van Rensselaer Strong (1906–1975), who married Marianne Schappert.[20]
  • Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge Strong (1910–1997),[21] who married Julie Maxilienne DeViry (1919–2000), a native of Thonon-les-Bains, France who was a daughter of Baron Humbert and Baroness Delphine Marie deViry.[22]
  • John Van Rensselaer Strong (1912–1990), who married Nancy (née Jones) de Rohan.[23]
  • Robert Livingston Strong (1914–2007), who married Mary Johnston Sutherland (1924–2006).[24]
  • Philip Livingston Strong (1918–1998), who married Sally Ann Borthwick (1928-2013).[25]

Strong died at his home in New Brunswick on December 24, 1928 after several days suffering "from the grip" (today known as influenza).[26] His funeral was held at his home and was conducted by Dr. William Henry Steele Demarest, then president of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary and former president of Rutgers University.[27][28]

References
  1. Myers, William Starr (2000). Prominent Families of New Jersey. Genealogical Publishing Com. pp. 85–86. ISBN 9780806350363. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  2. "WOODBRIDGE STRONG DEAD.; Was the Oldest Member of Jersey Bar- Well-Known Horticulturist, Too" (PDF). The New York Times. 24 August 1907. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  3. Bradley, Joseph P. (1879). A Memoir of Theodore Strong, LL.D.: Prepared at the Request of The National Academy of Science, and Read Before that Body, Thursday Evening, April 17, 1879. Joseph L. Pearson. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  4. Reynolds, Cuyler (1914). Genealogical and Family History of Southern New York and the Hudson River Valley: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Building of a Nation. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 1158. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  5. Dwight, Benjamin Woodbridge (1871). The History of the Descendants of Elder John Strong, of Northampton, Mass. J. Munsell. pp. 362-635. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  6. Wall, John Patrick; Pickersgill, Harold E. (1921). History of Middlesex County, New Jersey, 1664-1920. Lewis historical publishing Company, Incorporated. p. 543. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  7. Thurtle, Robert Glenn (2009). Lineage Book of Hereditary Order of Descendants of Colonial Governors. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 267. ISBN 9780806350875. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  8. Johnson, Rossiter; Brown, John Howard (1904). The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans ... Biographical Society. p. 75. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  9. Cyclopedia of New Jersey Biography: Memorial and Biographical. Amer. Historical Soc., Incorporated. 1923. pp. 60–61. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  10. Scannell, John James; Sackett, William Edgar (1919). Scannell's New Jersey's First Citizens: Biographies and Portraits of the Notable Living Men and Women of New Jersey, with Informing Glimpses Into the State's History and Affairs ... J.J. Scannell. p. 438. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  11. "S. C. Van Cleef, 90, a Lawyer in Jersey". The New York Times. 26 June 1964. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  12. "About 50,000 Plurality. Reports From County Committees Confirm Previous Figures". New-York Tribune. November 1, 1900. p. 6. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  13. "NEW JERSEY ASSEMBLY -- Senate and House Will Have Joint Republican Majority of 43". The Times. November 8, 1900. p. 4. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  14. "Theodore Strong for Senator". Matawan Journal. October 11, 1900. p. 1. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  15. The New Jersey Lawyers' Diary and Bar Directory. Trenton Electric Printing Company. 1906. p. 9. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  16. "SERVICE MONDAY FOR MRS. STRONG". The Central New Jersey Home News. August 5, 1956. p. 28. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  17. The register of the New Jersey Society of the Colonial Dames of America. Trenton, NJ: National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of New Jersey. 1914. p. 378. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  18. "Death | STRONG—Theodore". The New York Times. 3 December 1978. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  19. "Cornelia L.V.R. Strong". The Central New Jersey Home News. 15 Oct 1989. p. 17. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  20. "Stephen Strong, 68, Trial Lawyer, Dies". The New York Times. 15 February 1975. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  21. "Woodbridge Strong, Retired Lawyer, 87". The New York Times. 6 July 1997. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  22. "Julie Strong". The Central New Jersey Home News. November 5, 2000. p. 23. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  23. "Nancy Jones de Rohan Remarries". The New York Times. 2 March 1975. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  24. "Paid Notice: Deaths STRONG, ROBERT LIVINGSTON". The New York Times. October 14, 2007. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  25. "STRONG -- Philip Livingston". The Central New Jersey Home News. August 19, 1998. p. 20. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  26. "THEODORE STRONG, LAWYER, DIES OF GRIP; Former State Senator of New Jersey--A Republican Leader" (PDF). The New York Times. 25 December 1928. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  27. "Arranging Funeral for Theo. Strong". The Courier-News. December 26, 1928. p. 9. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  28. "Dr. Demarest to Conduct Funeral Service for Theodore Strong". The Central New Jersey Home News. December 27, 1928. p. 1. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
New Jersey Senate
Preceded by
James H. Van Cleef		 Member of the New Jersey Senate
from Middlesex County
1900–1903		 Succeeded by
William H. C. Jackson
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