John Stevens (c.1715 – May 10, 1792) was a prominent politician from
New JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, and to the east by the Hudson River, Upper New York Bay, the Kill Van Kull, Newark Bay, the Arthur Kill, Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook Bay, Westchester County, New York City, Long Island, and...
who served as a delegate to the
Continental CongressThe Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution...
in 1783.
The son of
John StevensJohn Stevens , who immigrated to America at age 17, invested in land, married the wealthy Ann Campbell, and became Port Collector at Perth Amboy. He was one of the thirteen original patentees of the Kayaderosseras tract, near Lake George, New York....
and his wife Ann Campbell, he was born either in 1715 in
Perth Amboy, New JerseyPerth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city population was 47,303. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay"....
or on October 21, 1716 in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
when his mother was visiting there.
With his brother Richard, he owned mercantile vessels and commanded them on voyages to
MadeiraMadeira is a Portuguese archipelago in the mid Atlantic Ocean that lies between and . It is one of the Autonomous regions of Portugal, with Madeira Island and Porto Santo Island being the only inhabited islands...
and the
CaribbeanThe Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts...
between 1739 and 1743.
John Stevens (c.1715 – May 10, 1792) was a prominent politician from
New JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, and to the east by the Hudson River, Upper New York Bay, the Kill Van Kull, Newark Bay, the Arthur Kill, Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook Bay, Westchester County, New York City, Long Island, and...
who served as a delegate to the
Continental CongressThe Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution...
in 1783.
The son of
John StevensJohn Stevens , who immigrated to America at age 17, invested in land, married the wealthy Ann Campbell, and became Port Collector at Perth Amboy. He was one of the thirteen original patentees of the Kayaderosseras tract, near Lake George, New York....
and his wife Ann Campbell, he was born either in 1715 in
Perth Amboy, New JerseyPerth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city population was 47,303. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay"....
or on October 21, 1716 in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
when his mother was visiting there.
With his brother Richard, he owned mercantile vessels and commanded them on voyages to
MadeiraMadeira is a Portuguese archipelago in the mid Atlantic Ocean that lies between and . It is one of the Autonomous regions of Portugal, with Madeira Island and Porto Santo Island being the only inhabited islands...
and the
CaribbeanThe Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts...
between 1739 and 1743. He then settled in Perth Amboy, where he was a vestryman at St. Peter's Church from 1749 to 1752. He was a large landowner in the New Jersey counties of
Hunterdon Hunterdon County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 121,989. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Flemington....
,
UnionUnion County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 522,541. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Elizabeth. Union County ranks 92nd among the highest-income counties in the United States. It also ranks 74th in...
, and
SomersetSomerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of 2000, the population was 297,490. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....
, and he owned a copper mine at
Rocky HillRocky Hill is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 662.Rocky Hill was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on December 18, 1889, from portions of Montgomery Township, based on the...
that was later abandoned.
Stevens was a member of the general colonial assembly in 1751. He served as paymaster of the
1st New Jersey RegimentThe first organized militia regiment in New Jersey was formed in 1673 in Piscataway "to repel foreign Indians who come down from upper Pennsylvania and western New York to our shores and fill with fishes and clams and on the way back make a general nuisance of themselves by burning hay stacks,...
(the "Jersey Blues") under Colonel
Philip SchuylerPhilip John Schuyler was a general in the American Revolution and a United States Senator from New York. He is usually known as Philip Schuyler, while his son is usually known as Philip J. Schuyler.-Early life:...
from 1756 to 1760. In 1758 he was appointed by the Assembly of New Jersey to serve as a commissioner to the state's Indian tribes. In 1762 he was named a member of the King's Council for New Jersey, a position that he resigned in 1770.
Stevens was a vocal opponent of the
Stamp ActThe Stamp Act of 1765 was a tax imposed by the British Parliament on the colonies of British America. The act required that many printed materials in the colonies carry a tax stamp. These printed materials were legal documents, magazines, newspapers and practically all forms of paper used...
. When the act went into effect in 1765, he was one of a committee of four (with Robert Livingston,
John CrugerJohn Cruger, Jr. was the speaker of the Province of New York assembly and the Mayor of New York City.He was born July 18, 1710 the son of John Cruger and Maria Cuyler....
, and Beverly Robinson) to prevent the issue of stamps in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
. In 1770 he was appointed a commissioner, along with Walter Rutherfurd, to establish the partition line between New York and New Jersey.
In 1776, after the Provincial Congress had become the
New Jersey LegislatureThe New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...
under the state's first Constitution, Stevens was elected
Vice-President of CouncilThe Vice-President of Council of the New Jersey Legislature would succeed the Governor if a vacancy occurred in that office.-List of past Vice-Presidents of Council:...
of New Jersey, holding the office of chairman of the joint meetings of the legislature until 1782. He represented
Hunterdon County Hunterdon County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 121,989. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Flemington....
in the legislature during that period. He was president of the convention of New Jersey when the state ratified the
United States ConstitutionThe Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. It is the foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of the United States of America and the federal government of the United States...
on December 18, 1787.
He married Elizabeth Alexander, daughter of
James AlexanderJames Alexander was a lawyer and statesman in colonial New York. He served in the Colonial Assembly and as Attorney General of the colony in 1721-1723. His son William was later a Major General in the Continental Army during the American revolution.-Early life:Alexander was born in Muthill in...
,
Surveyor GeneralThe Surveyor General is an official responsible for government surveying in a specific country or territory. Originally this would often have been a military appointment, but is now more likely to be a civilian post....
of New Jersey and New York and counsel for Peter Zenger, in 1748. They had two children:
- John Stevens
Col. John Stevens, III was an American lawyer, engineer and an inventor.- Life and career :Stevens was born in New York, New York, the son of John Stevens , a prominent New Jersey politician who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress, and Elizabeth Alexander, daughter of New York lawyer...
(1749-1838)
- Mary Stevens (d. 1814), who married Robert R. Livingston, Jr.
Robert R Livingston , was an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat from New York.-Early life:...
, negotiator of the Louisiana PurchaseThe Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of the French territory Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
.
His later years were spent with his son, Colonel John Stevens, at
HobokenHoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city's population was 38,577. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
, where he died in May 1792. He was buried at the Frame Meeting House in
Bethlehem TownshipBethlehem Township is a Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 3,820....
,
Hunterdon County, New Jersey Hunterdon County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 121,989. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Flemington....
.
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