A Rich History of Public Service

Click here for a list of all New Jersey United States Attorneys

The original enactment that formed the various district courts throughout the nation called for the convening of court on the first Tuesday in November, 1789. Twice, however, Judge David Brearly found it necessary to postpone the convening of the first District Court of New Jersey. The first session finally was held on December 22, 1789, at which time three attorneys were sworn in and Richard Stockton, then 25 years old, was commissioned as the first United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. Because there was no other business before the Court, court was promptly adjourned. Stockton's first appearance on behalf of the United States was at the August term in 1790. One Henry Guest had petitioned the court for relief from the payment of duties claimed by the collector of "the Eastern District of this State" on certain shoes and leather aboard the ship of Captain Edward Yard. Mr. Stockton responded to the order to show cause by saying that so far as the party sought relief from the customs duty on shoes and leather, the judge of the District Court had no jurisdiction. Judge Brearly dismissed the prayer for relief against payment of customs duty for lack of jurisdiction.


Richard Stockton (1764-1828) by Christian Gullager

Stockton, nicknamed "the Duke," had come from a prominent family in New Jersey. His great-grandfather (also named Richard Stockton) purchased the property that became Morven (later the residence of several New Jersey governors) from William Penn in 1701. His father, perhaps the most famous Richard Stockton, signed the Declaration of Independence a little more than a decade before "the Duke" became the first "attorney of the district." Stockton spent most of his time dealing with cases arising from the maritime trade from nearby ports. These cases involved the collection of customs duties on goods brought through the New Jersey ports from foreign countries. When Stockton left office in 1791, he was widely considered the best attorney in the state of New Jersey. He became United States Senator for New Jersey in 1796, and he was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1813.

Judge Brearly served as the United States District Judge for New Jersey for only about a year. He was succeeded in 1790 by Judge Robert Morris, who occupied the bench until he died in 1815. Much of the latter part of his life Judge Morris was ill, and no business was transacted in the Court. However, in describing the Court of that day, it was said that his absence caused no public disadvantage for there was scarcely any business in the District Court at that time. When the Court did sit, it often did so at Henry Drake's Tavern in Trenton.

Like Stockton, many United States Attorneys held significant posts in government before and after their tenure as United States Attorneys. William Sanford Pennington left the United States Attorney's Office in 1804 to become an Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, and in 1813 he became the governor of New Jersey. (His son, William Pennington, would later be the governor of New Jersey from 1837 to 1843.) From 1815 until his death in 1826, Pennington served as the United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey. (Until 1905, the District of New Jersey was served by only a single district judge.) Pennington had become well known for his courage during the Revolutionary War, when General Knox once spotted him under enemy fire loading and firing a cannon by himself, a task usually requiring the work of two or three people. The town of Pennington, New Jersey, is named for him.

Frederick Frelinghuysen became United States Attorney in 1801 having already distinguished himself in government service. He had served as a colonel in the Revolutionary War; as a delegate to the Continental Congress; and as a United States Senator from 1793 to 1796. After he left the Office of United States Attorney, Frelinguysen served as a member of the State general assembly. He died just three years later. Strangely, he had predicted the very day of his death, April 13, 1804. A number of Frelinghuysen's descendants served in government as well, including his son Theodore (1787-1862) and his grandson Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen (1817-1885), both of whom became United States Senators. His great-great-great-grandson, Peter Hood Ballantine Frelinghuysen, Jr., was a member of the House of Representatives from 1953 to 1975, and his great-great-great-great grandson, Rodney Frelinghuysen, was elected to the House of Representatives in 1995.

Joseph McIIvaine took office as the United States Attorney in 1804 and served for almost 20 years. Later, from 1823 until his death in 1826, he served in the United States Senate. McIIvaine's successor, Lucius Q.C. Elmer, had quite a career both before and after serving as United States Attorney from 1824 to 1829. Elmer had been a prosecuting attorney for the State and a member of the New Jersey Assembly, becoming Speaker of the House in 1823. He was elected to the United States Congress in 1843. He was not reelected, but he served as New Jersey's Attorney General from 1850 to 1852 and served as an Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1852 until his retirement in 1869.

The ninth United States Attorney, Garret Dorset Wall, had served in the War of 1812 and then become Quartermaster General for the State of New Jersey. He carried the title of "General" all of his life. As a member of the New Jersey Legislature, in 1829 he was selected by his peers to be governor. He became the only man appointed governor who declined to serve. Instead, he served as United States Attorney from 1829 to 1835. Then, from 1835 to 1841, he served as a United States Senator. Shortly after his death in 1850, Monmouth County's Wall Township was named after him.

On March 27, 1861, Anthony Q. Keasbey began the longest tenure of any United States Attorney in the District; he served continuously for 25 years, until 1886. The Keasbey section of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, was named for Keasbey and his brothers.

David O. Watkins, United States Attorney from 1900 to 1903, had earlier in his career been elected mayor of the City of Woodbury. At the time, he was only 24 years of age. In what may be another first, Watkins served as governor before becoming United States Attorney. In 1898, a set of odd circumstances brought Watkins to the governorship when both the elected governor and the President of the New Jersey Senate resigned while Watkins was Speaker of the House for the New Jersey Assembly. By succession, Watkins became the acting governor two years before becoming United States Attorney.

Other unusual events have occurred in the history of the United States Attorney's Office. The first United States Attorney, Richard Stockton (1789-1791), and the third, Lucius Horatio Stockton (1798-1801), were brothers. In more recent times, another pair of brothers have held the office, Raymond Del Tufo, Jr. (1954) and Robert J. Del Tufo (1977-1980).

In 1994, Faith S. Hochberg became the first woman to hold the Office of United States Attorney in New Jersey.  She left the office in 1999 to become one of the 17 United States district judges in New Jersey.  (The bench—and the U.S. Attorney's Office—had grown since 1905!) Hochberg was one of many United States Attorneys who also served as federal judges.  For example, Frederick B. Lacey and Herbert J. Stern served as district judges; Michael Chertoff served as a member of the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit until being appointed Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security; and Samuel Alito, Jr. served as a member of the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit for 15 years and then, beginning in January 2006, as the 110th United States Supreme Court Justice. The current governor of the state of New Jersey, Christopher J. Christie, is also a former United States Attorney for the District.

A number of Assistant U.S. Attorneys also went on to become members of the federal court, including Third Circuit Judges Maryanne Trump Barry, Michael A. Chagares, and Joseph A. Greenaway, Jr.; District Judges John W. Bissell (a former Chief District Judge), Garrett E. Brown (a former Chief District Judge), Jerome B. Simandle (the current Chief District Judge), Katharine S. Hayden, William J. Martini, Stanley R. Chesler, Renée M. Bumb, Noel L. Hillman, and Kevin McNulty; and Magistrate Judges Patty Shwartz and Michael A. Hammer. Stuart J. Rabner, the current Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, and Richard J. Hughes, the only man in the history of New Jersey to serve as both governor and Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, were also former Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the District of New Jersey. 

New Jersey United States Attorneys

United States Attorney	Tenure	Appointment	President When Appointed
Richard Stockton	1789-1791	Presidential	George Washington (1789-1797)
Abraham Ogden	1791-1798	Presidential	George Washington (1789-1797)
Lucius Horatio Stockton	1798-1801	Presidential	John Adams (1797-1801)
Frederick Frelinghuysen	1801	Presidential	John Adams (1797-1801)
George C. Maxwell	1801	Presidential (recess appointment)	John Adams (1797-1801)
George C. Maxwell	1802-1803	Presidential	Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
William S. Pennington	1803-1804	Presidential	Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
Joseph McIlvaine	1804-1824	Presidential	Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
Lucius Q.C. Elmer	1824-1829	Presidential	James Monroe (1817-1825)
Garret D. Wall	1829-1830	Presidential (recess appointment)	Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)
Garret D. Wall	1830-1835	Presidential	Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)
James S. Green	1835	Presidential (recess appointment)	Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)
James S. Green	1836-1850	Presidential	Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)
William Halstead	1850-1853	Presidential	Millard Fillmore (1850-1853)
Garret S. Cannon	1853-1854	Presidential (recess appointment)	Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)
Garret S. Cannon	1854 - 1861	Presidential	James Buchanan (1857-1861)
Anthony Q. Keasbey	1861-1886	Presidential	Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)
Job H. Lippincott	1886-1887	Presidential	Grover Cleveland (1885-1889)
Samuel F. Bigelow	1887-1888	Presidential	Grover Cleveland (1885-1889)
George S. Duryee	1888-1890	Presidential	Grover Cleveland (1885-1889)
Henry S. White	1890-1894	Presidential	Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)
John W. Beekman	1894-1895	Presidential (recess appointment)	Grover Cleveland (1893-1897)
John W. Beekman	1895-1896	Presidential	Grover Cleveland (1893-1897)
J. Kearney Rice	1896-1900	Presidential	Grover Cleveland (1893-1897)
David O. Watkins	1900-1903	Presidential	William McKinley (1897-1901)
Cortlander Parker, Jr.	1903	Court	Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)
John B. Vreeland	1903	Court	Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)
John B. Vreeland	1903-1913	Presidential	Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)
J. Warren Davis	1913-1916	Presidential	Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)
Charles F. Lynch	1916-1919	Presidential	Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)
Joseph L. Bodine	1919-1920	Presidential	Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)
Elmer H. Geran	1920-1922	Presidential	Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)
Walter G. Winne	1922-1928	Presidential	Warren Harding (1921-1923)
Phillip Forman	1928	Presidential (recess appointment)	Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)
Phillip Forman	1928-1932	Presidential	Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)
Harlan Besson	1932-1935	Presidential	Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)
John J. Quinn	1935-1936	Presidential (recess appointment)	Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)
John J. Quinn	1936-1940	Presidential	Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)
William F. Smith	1940-1941	Court	Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)
Charles M. Phillips	1941-1943	Presidential	Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)
Thorn Lord	1943-1945	Court	Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)
Edgar H. Rossbach	1945	Court	Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)
Edgar H. Rossbach	1945-1948	Presidential	Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)
Isaiah Matlack	1948	Court	Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)
Alfred E. Modarelli	1948-1949	Presidential (recess appointment)	Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)
Alfred E. Modarelli	1949-1951	Presidential	Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)
Grover C. Richman, Jr.	1951	Court	Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)
Grover C. Richman, Jr.	1951-1953	Presidential	Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)
William F. Tompkins	1953-1954	Presidential	Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)
Raymond Del Tufo, Jr.	1954-1956	Presidential	Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)
Herman Scott	1956	Court	Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)
Chester A. Weidenburner	1956-1957	Presidential (recess appointment)	Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)
Chester A. Weidenburner	1956-1961	Presidential	Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)
David M. Satz, Jr.	1961-1969	Presidential	John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)
Donald Horowitz	1969	Court	Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974)
Frederick B. Lacey	1969-1971	Presidential	Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974)
Herbert J. Stern	1971	Court	Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974)
Herbert J. Stern	1971-1974	Presidential	Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974)
Jonathan Goldstein	1974	Court	Gerald R. Ford (1974-1977)
Jonathan Goldstein	1974-1977	Presidential	Gerald R. Ford (1974-1977)
Robert J. Del Tufo	1977-1981	Presidential	Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)
William W. Robertson	1981	Court	Ronald W. Reagan (1981-1989)
W. Hunt Dumont	1981-1985	Presidential	Ronald W. Reagan (1981-1989)
Thomas W. Greelish	1985-1987	Court	Ronald W. Reagan (1981-1989)
Samuel Alito, Jr.	1987	Attorney General	Ronald W. Reagan (1981-1989)
Samuel Alito, Jr.	1987-1990	Presidential	Ronald W. Reagan (1981-1989)
Michael Chertoff	1990	Attorney General	George Bush (1989-1993)
Michael Chertoff	1990-1991	Court	George Bush (1989-1993)
Michael Chertoff	1991-1994	Presidential	George Bush (1989-1993)
Faith S. Hochberg	1994	Attorney General	William J. Clinton (1993-2001)
Faith S. Hochberg	1994-1999	Presidential	William J. Clinton (1993-2001)
Robert J. Cleary	1999-2000	Court	William J. Clinton (1993-2001)
Robert J. Cleary	2000-2002	Attorney General	William J. Clinton (1993-2001)
Christopher J. Christie	2002-2008	Presidential	George W. Bush (2001-2009)
Ralph J. Marra, Jr.	2008-2009	Vacancy Reform Act	George W. Bush (2001-2009)
Paul J. Fishman	2009-Present	Presidential	Barack Obama  (2009-Present)

Related information can be found on the web site of the Historical Society of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, www.njd.uscourts.gov, and the web site of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, http://pacer.njd.uscourts.gov.

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