Overview
Richard Stockton was a well-known lawyer and politician who rose to prominence in New Jersey prior to the American Revolution, largely due to his role as a Trustee of the College of New Jersey. After Parliament pursued its policy of Taxation Without Representation, Stockton aligned with the Patriot Cause. Although he preferred reconciliation with Great Britain, he was convinced to support independence. During the war, he was taken prisoner and treated harshly by the British, which damaged his health. According to some accounts, Stockton was released only after swearing allegiance to King George III, although there is little evidence to support this claim.
Personal Facts
- Born: October 1, 1730, near Princeton, New Jersey.
- Parents: John Stockton (father), Abigail Stockton (mother).
- Spouse: Annis Boudinot (1757).
- Died: February 28, 1781, in Princeton, New Jersey. He was 50.
- Buried: Stony Brook Quaker Meeting House Burial Ground, Princeton, New Jersey.
- Part of: Signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Significance
Richard Stockton is important to American History for his role in the Patriot Cause in New Jersey and his involvement in the American Revolution. As a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Stockton is one of the nation’s Founding Fathers.
Biography
Early Life and Family History
Richard Stockton was born in Princeton, New Jersey, on October 1, 1730. He was the son of John Stockton and Abigail Phillips Stockton.
- His grandfather, also named Richard Stockton, moved to Princeton in 1696 and acquired a large tract of land.
- His great-grandfather, another Richard Stockton, was the first member of the family line in America and lived in Flushing, Long Island, by 1656.
- John Stockton served for many years as Presiding Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Somerset County, New Jersey, and strongly supported the College of New Jersey (present-day Princeton University). He helped secure its move from Newark to Princeton.
Education
Stockton received his primary education at the academy run by the Reverend Samuel Finley in Nottingham, Maryland. He attended the College of New Jersey at Newark and graduated in 1748.
Legal Practice
Afterward, Stockton studied law under David Ogden in Newark. He received a license as an attorney in 1754, became a counselor in 1758, and became a Serjeant-at-Law in 1764. Over the next 10 years, he built a large law practice and became known as one of the most skilled speakers at the bar in the Middle Colonies. Elias Boudinot, William Paterson, and Joseph Reed were among the legal students who trained in his office.
AHC Notes
- Elias Boudinot (1740–1821) — Boudinot was a lawyer and politician who supported the Patriot Cause in New Jersey. He served in the New Jersey Provincial Congress and helped supply the Continental Army. As the first Commissary General of Prisoners, Boudinot organized aid for American prisoners and gathered intelligence. Later, he served in Congress and became President of Congress in 1782. Following the war, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives and led the U.S. Mint.
- William Paterson (1745–1806) — Paterson was a lawyer, judge, and politician who rose to prominence during the American Revolution. He played a key role in New Jersey politics, serving as the Attorney General and helping write the state constitution. In 1787, Paterson served as a delegate to the Philadelphia Convention, where he proposed the “New Jersey Plan,” which favored small states and equal representation in both houses of Congress. Paterson signed the Constitution and then served in the U.S. Senate before becoming Governor of New Jersey. In 1793, President George Washington appointed him to the U.S Supreme Court as an Associate Justice.
- Joseph Reed (1741–1785) — Reed was a lawyer, politician, and soldier who played a prominent role in the early days of the American Revolutionary War, serving as an aide to General George Washington. He participated in the New Jersey Campaign and the Philadelphia Campaign before returning to Pennsylvania, where he became President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania. Afterward, Reed rejected British attempts to bribe him and supported Gradual Abolition (see First Emancipation).
Entry Into Public Affairs
Initially, Stockton had little interest in public affairs and politics and gave most of his attention to his own affairs. In 1764, he wrote a letter to Joseph Reed, explaining that he did not want to serve the public unless he became convinced that neglecting his private business would allow him to provide greater service to God and man.
By 1766, Stockton was a Trustee of the College of New Jersey, and the board asked him to travel to Glasgow, Scotland, to offer John Witherspoon the presidency of the college.
AHC Notes
- John Witherspoon (1723–1794) — Witherspoon was a Scottish-born Presbyterian minister, educator, and political leader who became president of the College of New Jersey and a key figure in unifying the American Presbyterian Church. He served in the Continental Congress, supported independence, and helped shape early national policy. His writings influenced Revolutionary thought, and his long career as a teacher prepared many future leaders of the new nation.
During his trip, Stockton received a respectful welcome in London from King George III and Charles Wentworth-Watson, the Marquis of Rockingham. He also received the Freedom of the City of Edinburgh at a public dinner, an honorary award given by the city council.
At first, Stockton was unable to convince Witherspoon’s wife, Elizabeth, to agree to her husband’s acceptance of the position. Stockton remained determined and worked with leading clergymen in Edinburgh and Glasgow to convince her.
After long negotiations, which also included help from the young Benjamin Rush (Stockton’s son-in-law), Elizabeth agreed, and Stockton’s mission succeeded. Stockton remained strongly attached to the College of New Jersey throughout his life. He served as one of its chief financial advisers and believed colleges could improve public life by preparing men with greater foresight and understanding for service in the lower House of Assembly.
AHC Notes
- During this trip, Stockton visited members of Parliament and Benjamin Franklin. He insisted that Americans would continue to resist Taxation Without Representation.
- One night in Edinburgh, Stockton was attacked but managed to defend himself with his sword.
- Intending to visit Ireland, he booked passage on a ship. However, his baggage arrived too late to board the ship, which sank during the voyage due to a storm.
New Jersey Politics
Stockton returned to New Jersey in 1767 and became active in colonial politics.
- In 1768, officials appointed him to the Council, a position he kept until the royal government ended.
- A year later, riots broke out against lawyers because of high costs, abuses, and the large number of lawsuits. Stockton took a strong position during the unrest and helped restore the orderly work of the courts in Monmouth County.
- In 1774, he received a commission as one of the Justices of the New Jersey Supreme Court.
During this time, Stockton spent his free time improving “Morven,” his large estate in Princeton, where he bred horses and cattle, collected art, and built a large library.
American Revolution
At first, Stockton took a moderate position in the dispute between the colonies and Great Britain. In 1764, he suggested that the easiest solution was to elect able Americans to Parliament. A year later, during the Stamp Act Crisis, he argued that Parliament had no authority over the colonies.
On December 12, 1774, he wrote “An Expedient for the Settlement of the American Disputes” and sent it to William Legge, Lord Dartmouth. In the plan, he supported American self-government operating outside Parliament while maintaining loyalty to the Crown. Stockton warned Dartmouth that immediate action was necessary, or the conflict would lead to war.
Later, this plan helped shape, at least in part, the Continental Congress’s petition to the King, known as the Olive Branch Petition, issued on July 8, 1775.
Continental Congress
Stockton was elected to the Second Continental Congress on June 22, 1776, and took his seat six days later, in time to hear the final debate over the Declaration of Independence. He signed the engrossed copy of the Declaration on August 2, 1776.
- Stockton and John Witherspoon arrived while John Adams was giving a speech in favor of independence.
- When Adams finished, Stockton asked him to repeat the portion of the speech he missed.
- At first, Adams declined, but Edward Rutledge helped convince him to do so.
- Afterward, Stockton said that Adams was “…the Atlas of the hour, the man to whom the country is most indebted for the great measure of independency. He who sustained the debate, and by the force of reasoning demonstrated not only the justice, but the expediency of the measure.”
During later sessions, his allies and friends in New Jersey supported him for Governor. On August 30, 1776, the first vote in the Legislature ended in a tie between Stockton and William Livingston.
- The next day, Livingston was named Governor, while Stockton was chosen as the first Chief Justice of the new state.
- Stockton declined the position because he preferred to continue his active service in Congress.
During the summer and fall of 1776, Stockton served on several important committees in Congress.
- On September 26, 1776, Congress appointed Stockton and George Clymer to visit the Northern Army, following the failed Invasion of Quebec (1775–1776).
- He wrote from Saratoga on October 28 and reported that the New Jersey soldiers marched willingly, although many lacked shoes and stockings.
- Stockton wrote to Abraham Clark, saying, “There is not a single shoe or stocking to be had in this part of the world…I would ride a hundred miles through the woods to purchase them with my own money.”
On November 23, Congress appointed Stockton to a committee tasked with finding ways to reinforce General George Washington and slow General William Howe’s army.
AHC Notes
- George Clymer (1739–1813) — Clymer was a Philadelphia merchant, early Patriot, and committed public servant who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He served multiple terms in the Continental Congress, worked on key financial and military committees, supported penal reform in Pennsylvania, and backed republican principles in the new federal government. His long career reflected the broad civic responsibilities of early American leaders during the nation’s formative years.
- Abraham Clark (1726–1794) — Clark was a New Jersey surveyor, lawyer, and influential Patriot who supported independence and represented his colony in the Continental Congress. Known as “The Poor Man’s Counselor” for offering free legal advice, he voted for and signed the Declaration of Independence. He later opposed the Constitution until the Bill of Rights was added and served in the Second and Third Congresses, contributing to the early debates over federal power and individual rights.
Capture and Imprisonment
Before Stockton could reach Princeton, British forces invaded New Jersey. He moved his family to his friend John Covenhoven’s home in Monmouth County for safety.
- Soon after, Loyalists betrayed him and told the British where he was.
- The Loyalists seized him, took him to Perth Amboy, and jailed him.
- Later, he was transferred to New York, where he was imprisoned and mistreated.
On January 3, 1777, Congress formally protested his treatment and worked to arrange a prisoner exchange.
According to some accounts, the British forced him to sign an Oath of Loyalty, swearing allegiance to King George III. Because of this, fellow Patriots shunned him when he finally returned to his home.
Death
Unfortunately, by the time he was released, his health was badly damaged, his estate had been pillaged, and his fortune had greatly declined. Suffering from cancer, he died in Princeton on February 28, 1781, at the age of 50. Afterward, George Washington wrote to his widow, saying, “Be assured we can never forget our friend at Morven.”
Family
Stockton married Annis Boudinot, a talented poet. She was the sister of Elias Boudinot, who married Stockton’s sister, Hannah, in 1762.
- Stockton and Annis had 2 sons and 4 daughters.
- Their older son, Richard Stockton, became a respected lawyer.
- Their oldest daughter, Julia Stockton, married Benjamin Rush.
AHC Notes
- Benjamin Rush (1745–1813) — Rush was a leading American physician, educator, and social reformer who signed the Declaration of Independence and became one of the most influential medical teachers of the Early Republic. He promoted abolition, temperance, prison reform, and expanded education, and played a major role in establishing Philadelphia as the nation’s center for medical training. Although controversial for his medical “system,” he made significant contributions to psychiatry, public health, and early American civic life.
Accomplishments and Milestones
- 1730, October 1 — Richard Stockton was born in Princeton, New Jersey.
- 1748 — Stockton graduated from the College of New Jersey at Newark.
- 1754 — He was admitted to the New Jersey Bar.
- 1766 — Stockton traveled to Scotland to offer the College of New Jersey’s presidency to John Witherspoon.
- 1767 — He returned to America and entered politics.
- 1768 — Stockton was named to the provincial council.
- 1774 — He sent Lord Dartmouth a proposed settlement plan tied to loyalty to the crown but freedom from parliamentary control.
- 1776, June 28 — Stockton took his seat in the Continental Congress.
- 1776, July 2 — He voted for independence.
- 1776, August 2 — Stockton signed the Declaration of Independence.
- 1776, August 30 — He tied with William Livingston for Governor of New Jersey.
- 1776, September 26 — Richard Stockton and George Clymer were appointed to inspect the Northern Army after the failed Invasion of Quebec.
- 1776, November 30 — British forces captured him in New Jersey.
- 1777, January 3 — Congress protested Stockton’s treatment and sought an exchange.
- 1781, February 28 — He died after a long illness.
AP US History
Definition
Richard Stockton (1730–1781) — Stockton was a New Jersey lawyer and politician who served in the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. Initially favoring compromise with Great Britain, he opposed Parliament’s policy of Taxation Without Representation and later supported independence. After British forces captured him in November 1776, he endured harsh imprisonment in New York City. He returned home in poor health and died in 1781.
Alignment
Richard Stockton is part of the following units, topics, and chapters in the AP US History curriculum:
