Official Site of The State of New Jersey
A History of New Jersey Governors
New Jersey Governors from 1776 to 1860.
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William Livingston 1776-1790 Commander in chief of the state militia during the American Revolution |
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William Paterson 1790-1793 Served in the provincial congress, the constitutional convention, and the legislative council before becoming governor. Co-author of the NJ Plan. |
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Richard Howell 1793-1801 Active participant in the Revolutionary War. Led the NJ militia to crush the Whiskey Rebellion and other uprisings in the nation’s early days. |
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Joseph Bloomfield 1801-1802 and 1803-1812 Governor from October 31, 1801–November 15, 1802 and was re-elected again from 1803–1812. The township of Bloomfield, New Jersey is named for him. |
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Aaron Ogden 1812-1813 After serving as Governor, Ogden was defendant in the historic Gibbons v. Ogden case that denied New York State's attempted monopoly on steamboat operation between New York and New Jersey. His nephew Daniel Haines later also served as a New Jersey Governor. |
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William S. Pennington 1813-1815 The year after he left office, President James Madison appointed him a judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, a position that he kept until his death eleven years later. |
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Mahlon Dickerson 1815-1817 He later served as Secretary of the Navy until 1838. The destroyer USS Dickerson was named in his honor. In 1840, he became judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. He was also a delegate to the New Jersey constitutional convention of 1844. |
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Isaac H. Williamson 1817-1829 A very popular Governor serving twelve years, he also served as Mayor of Elizabethtown and as a member of the New Jersey Council (known as the New Jersey State Senate). |
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Peter Dumont Vroom 1829-1832 and 1833-1836 As governor, Vroom supported the establishment of the Camden and Amboy Railroad and the Delaware and Raritan Canal. |
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Samuel L. Southard 1832-1833 A prominent U.S. statesman of the early 19th century, Southard also served as a U.S. Senator and Secretary of the Navy. The destroyer USS Southard, was named in his honor. |
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Elias P. Seeley 1833-1833 Seeley was named to serve as governor after Samuel L. Southard stepped down from office to take a seat in the US Senate. Seeley served in the New Jersey Senate both before and after his term as Governor. |
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Philemon Dickerson 1836-1837 Brother to Governor Mahlon Dickerson, Philemon also served in the New Jersey General Assembly, US House of Representatives and as a judge for the US District Court for the District of New Jersey. |
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William Pennington 1837-1843 In 1859 he was elected to the US House of Representatives were he was elected Speaker of the House. |
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Daniel Haines 1843-1845 and 1848-1851 Nephew to Governor Aaron Ogden, Haines first served in the NJ State Senate before being elected as Governor in 1843 and re-elected for a second term in 1847. After serving as governor, Haines was appointed as Associate Justice to the New Jersey Supreme Court until 1866. |
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Charles C. Stratton 1845-1848 He was the first Governor elected under the new 1844 NJ Constitution that called for the direct election of a Governor for a three-year term. Stratton also served as a member of the NJ Assembly in1823, 1824 and again in 1829. He served in the in the US House of Representatives in 1837. |
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George F. Fort 1851-1854 Fort also served in the NJ General Assembly and New Jersey Senate. His nephew, John Franklin Fort served as New Jersey Governor from 1908- 1911. |
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Rodman M. Price 1854-1857 Prior to his term as Governor, Price was appointed Purser to the US Navy in 1840 and was elected to the US Congress in 1851. |
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William A. Newell 1857-1860 Served three-terms in the US House of Representatives. He is best known for, the Newell Act, which created the United States Life-Saving Service which ultimately merged with the Revenue Cutter Service to form the United States Coast Guard in 1915. |