596 



STODDARD- STONE. 



Princeton, N. J., Oct. 1, 1730. His great-grandfather 

 came from England in 10711, and purchased a tract of 

 6100 acres, including the Bite of Princeton, the prop- 

 erty largely remaining in the family. Itirhurd was 

 graduated at Princeton in 1748, and, after studying 

 law in New.irk, was admitted to the bar in 17.~>l, win-re 

 he acquired repute and a competent fortune. In 

 1766-07 he visited Great Britain, and while in Scot- 

 land prevailed on Dr. Witherspoon to accept the pres- 

 idency of Princeton College. In 1768 he became a 

 member of the executive council of the province, and 

 in 1774 judge of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. 

 In this s une year he submitted to Lord Dartmouth 

 " An Expedient for the Settlement of the American 

 Disputes." On this failing to effect its purpose, he 

 allied himself witli the patriot party, and iu 177ti 

 was chosen a member of the Continental Congress 

 that met in Philadelphia, where ho was one of the 

 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Iu Sep- 

 tember of this year lie was chosen one of a commit- 

 tee to inspect the Northern army, and on Nov. 30 

 was seized by night in Monmoutii, N. J., and com- 

 mitted to the common prison of New York, where he 

 underwent treatment that seriously affected his 

 health and, ultimately, conduced to his death. 

 Meanwhile his library, one of the finest in the coun- 

 try, had been burned and his land laid waste, so 

 that he was reduced to severe pecuniary straits. He 

 died at Princeton, Feb. 28, 1781. In 1838 the State 

 of New Jersey placed his statue in the Capitol at 

 Washington. His wife, ASNIS BOODINOT, was a po- 

 etess of no mean merit. One of her poems, addressed I 

 to Washington after the surrender of Yorktown, 

 elicited from the patriot chief a courtly acknowledg- 

 ment; another was sung by young ladies while 

 strewing flowers on the path of the hero on his pas- 

 sage through Trenton on his way to his first inaugu- 

 ration at New York. 



His son, RICHARD STOCKTON (1764-1828), senator, 

 was born near Princeton, April 17, 1704, studied law 

 in Newark, and was admitted to the bar in 1784. He 

 rose rapidly to the head of the profession in Die 

 State; was a presidential elector in 1792 and 1801; 

 United States senator 1796-99; and representative 

 in Congress 1813-15, declining further cindidacy. 

 He received the degree of LL. D. from Queen's (now 

 Rutgers) College in 1815, and from Union iu 1816. 

 He died near Princeton, March 7, 1828. 



ROBERT FIEUD STOCKTOX (1795-1860), son of the 

 preceding, commodore, was born in Princeton, Aug. 

 20, 1795. He left Princeton College before o mi- 

 pleting his course, and in 1H11 entered the navy as 

 a midshipman, at once distinguishing himself for 

 gallantry, especially in the defence of Baltimore 

 against the British, for which, in 1814, lie was pro- 

 moted to lieutenant. On the declaration of war 

 with Algiers he sailed with the Deeatur to the 

 Mediterranean, but was transferred, as 1st lieuten- 

 ant, to the Spit tire, in which he took part in the capt- 

 ure of the Algerine friga'e Miiion.l.i, and iu 1815 

 headed the boarders iu the capture of the corsair 

 Esledio. In 1821 he went to Africa in command of 

 the Alligator, and aided the Colonization Society 

 (7. v.) in acquiring by purchase from native chiefs 

 the territory uow constituting the Republic, of Libe- 

 ria. While engaged iu this service the Alligator 

 was fired on by a Portuguese letter-of-marque. which 

 mistook it for a pirate. An engagement of 20 min- 

 utes infficed to capture the assailant, which, how- 

 ever, was subsequently returned to Portugal. By 

 his capture of the French slaver Jeune Eugenie 

 Lieu! en in: Stockton established the legality of seiz- 

 ing slavers under a foreign flag In 1823-24 he was 

 1'inpl ived on the survey of the coast of the Southern 

 States* From 1826 to 1838 he was on leave at 

 Princeton, and took an active part in politics as a 

 follower of Gen. Jackson. In 1838 Lo served as 



flag-officer in the Mediterranean, and on his promo- 

 tion to captain on Dec. 8 was recalled. In 1841 lio 

 was offered by Pros. Tyler a seat in the cabinet as 

 secretary of the nnvy, bat declined office. He was 



one of the first to advocate a steam navy. an. I pi,-- 

 pared the plans for the .-.team sloop of war Prince- 

 ton, which was built at Philadelphia, 1842-44, and 

 was given command of it. On a trial-trip on the 

 Potomac in the latter year one of her guns bumt, 

 causing the death of five persons, including the 

 Secretaries of war and the navy. A court of in- 

 quiry entirely exonerated Captain Stockton. He 

 next sailed to Texas as bearer to its government of 

 the annexation resolutions. In the Mexican war 

 he was conimander-in-eliief of the squadron on the 

 Pacific, and in 1S40, by proclamation, assumed com- 

 mand of all American forces on the coast, conquer- 

 ing California and establishing the authority of the 

 t'nited .Slates. In 1847 he was relieved, and re- 

 turned home overland, being received with honor by 

 all parties. The New Jersey legislature gave him a 

 vote of thanks and a reception. In 1850 he resigned 

 from the navy, and in 1851 was elected to the U. S. 

 senate, where he promoted the abolition of flogging 

 in the navy. He resigned his seat in 1853, n: 

 tired to private life, dying at Princeton, Oct. 7, 1866. 



His son, JOHN I'OTTEH STOCKTON, senator and law- 

 yer, was born in Princeton, Aug. 1>, 1820. He was 

 graduated at Princeton, 1843, studied law, and was 

 admitted to the bar, 1850, and immediately attained 

 a high position in his native Sta'e. He was ap- 

 pointed by its legislature a commissioner to simplify 

 proceedings in the courts of law ; in 18,~>7 was sent 

 as U. S minister to Rome; in 1805 was chosen by a 

 plurality vote to the U. S. senate, but this being 

 challenged he was unseated by a vote of 23 to 21, 

 March '27, 1866. He was re-elected in 18G9, sen-ing 

 one term. In the Senate he advocated with c fleet 

 the establishment of life-saving stations on the coast. 

 In 1877 he was appointed attorney-general of New 

 Jersey, and was re-elected in ]S8'2nnd 1887, in which 

 office he has consistently sustained the system of rail- 

 road taxation. Ever since 1864 he has been dele- 

 gate-at-lar<*o to all the Democratic national conven- 

 tions. In 1882 Princeton conferred on him the 

 degree of LL. D. 



STODDARD, RICITARI> HENRY, poet, was born at 

 Hingham, Mass., in 1825. He was a contributor to 

 the Kiii<:hrrl><-k<!r Mftrizie, and published his first 

 collection of poems, rbat-Prfatt, in 1S4!), and a sec- 

 ond collection in 1851. After his marriage to Eliza- 

 beth D. Barstow, in 1852, he settled in New York, 

 where he was employed in the cnstom-hottM, He 

 has since been prominently identified with the liter- 

 ary life of the metropolis. In n cent years his sight 

 has been much impaired. Among his publications aro 

 viys n/ Sinumw (1857); Tutrii <nni 'niii.lni (Is.'.T 1 ; 

 '/'/<* Kii.ij* 1MI (1803) ; Tlif. li'Kik <>f tht Ki.<t (1871). 

 He has also written some prose works and tales for the 

 young, and edited various collections of English and 

 American poetry. He excels as a lyric and imagina- 

 tive poet and is a successful writer of blank \i 



STONE, CHAHI<HS POMI:I:OV, general, was born, 

 i. IS'24, in (Jreenfield, Ma. He graduated at 

 West Point in 1845, and became '2d lieutenant in the 

 ordnance. In the Mexican \\ai- he served from Vcia 

 Cruz to the capture of the City of Mexico, and was 

 d in 1S47 for gallant and meritorious con- 

 duct iu the battles of Molino del Key and Chapul- 

 In 1848 he obtained leave of absence to visit 

 Europe, with the object of improving in his profes- 

 sion. In 18.".1 he was ordered to California, when) 

 he const meted the lienicia arsenal, acting, at the 

 same time, as chief of ordnance for the division of 

 the Pacific. Resigning in 1856, he engaged in the 

 banking business in San Francisco till appointed, 

 next year, by the Mexican government, chief of a 



