Stockton, Richard

STOCKTON, RICHARD. (1730–1781). Signer, lawyer. New Jersey. Born in Princeton, New Jersey, on 1 October 1730, Stockton graduated from the College of New Jersey at Newark in 1748, was admitted to the bar in 1754, and within ten years was recognized as one of the most eloquent lawyers in the middle colonies. Among the prominent lawyers he trained were Elias Boudinot and Joseph Reed. In 1766 he went as a trustee of his alma mater to Scotland to offer its presidency to John Witherspoon.

While in Britain, Stockton was received by the king and by Lord Rockingham (Charles Watson-Wentworth), and he was given the freedom of the city of Edinburgh. Returning to America in 1767, he entered politics, and the next year was named to the provincial council. He originally advocated conciliation with Great Britain, but opposed their taxing powers, even when Governor William Franklin appointed him to the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1774. Late in 1774 he sent Lord Dartmouth (William Legge) a plan for settlement on the basis of continued allegiance to the crown but freedom from parliamentary control. Sent to the Continental Congress, he took his seat on 1 July 1776, voting for independence on the following day and signing the Declaration of Independence On 30 August he tied with William Livingston for Governor of New Jersey and the next day, after the latter was chosen for the office by a single vote, Stockton declined the post of chief justice to remain in Congress. After serving on many important committees, on 26 September he and George Clymer were appointed to inspect the Northern army, which was then reorganizing after failure of the Canada invasion. Returning home as the British invaded New Jersey, he evacuated his family safely to the home of a friend in Monmouth County, but there he was betrayed by a Loyalist and captured on 30 November 1776. Taken first to Perth Amboy and then imprisoned in the infamous provost jail in New York City, he was subjected to cruel treatment that broke his spirit and led him to sign the amnesty proclamation declaring his loyalty to the king, making him the only signer of the Declaration of Independence to renounce his vote. Meanwhile, his home had been pillaged and his library burned. On 3 January 1777 Congress formally protested to the British and made efforts to secure his exchange. When he finally was liberated Stockton's health was shattered, his home, "Morven," was destroyed, and he found himself shunned by former friends. He died on 28 February 1781 after a long bout with cancer.

SEE ALSO Witherspoon, John.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bill, Alfred H. A House Called Morven: Its Role in American History, 1701–1954. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1954.

                              revised by Michael Bellesiles