Provincial Congress of New Jersey

Type
Type|

Unicameral Provisional Revolutionary Government

of Province of New Jersey

History
Founded| May 23, 1775 (1775-05-23)
Disbanded| August 27, 1776 (1776-08-27)
Preceded by| British Royal governors
Succeeded by| 1st Session of the New Jersey Legislature
Leadership

President

Hendrick Fisher

Secretary

Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant

Assistant(s)

William Paterson
Frederick Frelinghuysen

Meeting place
Trenton, New Jersey

The Provincial Congress of New Jersey was a transitional governing body of the Province of New Jersey in the early part of the American Revolution. It first met in 1775 with representatives from all New Jersey's then-thirteen counties, to supersede the Royal Governor. In June 1776, this congress had authorized the preparation of a constitution, which was written within five days, adopted by the Provincial Congress, and accepted by the Continental Congress.

The Constitution of 1776 provided for a bicameral legislature consisting of a General Assembly with three members from each county and a legislative council with one member from each county. All state officials, including the governor, were to be appointed by the Legislature under this constitution. The Vice-President of Council would succeed the Governor, who served as the Council president, if a vacancy occurred in that office.[1][2] The Provincial Congress ceased to function when the first session of the new Legislature convened on August 27, 1776, under the New Jersey State Constitution it had prepared.[2]

## 1775 Sessions

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The Provincial Congress met in late May, June and August in Trenton. During their sessions in the first week, they elected from their members: Hendrick Fisher as the body's President, Jonathan D. Sergeant as secretary, and William Paterson and Frederick Frelinghuysen as assistants. The members, or deputies of the Congress, were received at its first session on May 23, 1775.[3]

## Members of the Provincial Congress

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At Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 1776, three Provincial Congress deputies, Abraham Clark, John Hart, and Reverend John Witherspoon, signed the Declaration of Independence, becoming of the nation's 53 Founding Fathers.

* X = Attended Session
* N = Elected but did not attend Session

Name of Deputy or Delegate  | County  | May–June 1775 (Trenton)[4] | August 1775 (Trenton)[5] | October 1775 (Trenton)[6] | January–March 1776 (New Brunswick)[7] | June–August 1776 (Burlington)[8]

|
|
|
|
|
|

John Fell | Bergen | X | X | - | - | \-
John Demarest | Bergen | X | X | X | X | X
Hendrick Kuyper | Bergen | X | X | - | - | \-
Abraham Van Buskirk | Bergen | X | X | N[9] | X | X
Edo Merselius | Bergen | X | X | - | - | \-
Jacobus Post | Bergen | - | - | X | X | X
Jacob Quackenbush | Bergen | - | - | - | - | X
Daniel Isaac Brown | Bergen | - | - | - | - | X
Joseph Borden | Burlington | X | X | - | - | \-
Isaac Pearson | Burlington | X | X | X | X | \-
Colin Campbell | Burlington | X | X | - | - | \-
Joseph Read | Burlington | X | - | - | - | \-
Peter Tallman | Burlington | - | - | - | - | X
Thomas Reynolds | Burlington | - | - | - | - | X
Thomas Fennimore | Burlington | - | - | - | - | X
Charles Read | Burlington | - | - | - | - | X
Caleb Shreve | Burlington | - | - | - | - | X
John Pope | Burlington | X | X | X | X | \-
Samuel How | Burlington | - | - | X | X | \-
John Wood | Burlington | - | - | X | N | \-
Joseph Newbold | Burlington | - | - | X | X | \-
Jesse Hand | Cape-May | X | - | X | N | X
Elijah Hughs | Cape-May | - | X | N[10] | X | X
Thomas Leaming, Jr. | Cape-May | - | - | - | - | X
Joseph Savage | Cape-May | - | - | - | - | X
Hugh Hathorn | Cape-May | - | - | - | - | X
Samuel Fithian | Cumberland | X | X | - | - | \-
Jonathan Elmer | Cumberland | X | X | - | - | \-
Thomas Ewing | Cumberland | X | X | - | - | \-
Theophilius Elmer | Cumberland | - | - | X | X | X
Jonathan Ayars | Cumberland | - | - | X | X | X
Ephraim Harris | Cumberland | - | - | - | - | X
John Buck | Cumberland | - | - | - | - | X
Jonathan Bowen | Cumberland | - | - | - | - | X
Henry Garritse | Essex | X | X | - | - | \-
Michael Vreeland | Essex | X | X | - | - | \-
Robert Drummond | Essex | X | X | X | X | X
John Berry | Essex | X | - | - | - | \-
William P. Smith | Essex | X | - | - | - | \-
John Stiles | Essex | X | - | - | - | \-
John Chetwood | Essex | X | X | - | - | \-
Abraham Clark | Essex | X | - | X | X | X
Elias Boudinot | Essex | X | X | - | - | \-
Stephen Crane | Essex | - | - | - | - | X
Isaac Ogden | Essex | X | X | - | - | \-
Philip van Cortlandt | Essex | X | X | - | - | \-
Betheul Pierson | Essex | X | X | - | - | \-
Caleb Camp | Essex | X | X | X | X | X
Samuel Potter | Essex | - | - | X | X | \-
Lewis Ogden | Essex | - | - | X | X | X
John Cooper | Gloucester | X | - | X | N | X
Elijah Clark | Gloucester | X | X | X | N | X
John Sparks | Gloucester | X | X | - | - | X
Joseph Hugg | Gloucester | - | X | - | - | X
Joseph Ellis | Gloucester | - | X | X | X | X
Thomas Clark | Gloucester | - | - | X | N | \-
Richard Somers | Gloucester | - | - | X | N | \-
Samuel Tucker | Hunterdon | X | X | X | X | X
John Mehelm | Hunterdon | X | X | X | X | X
John Hart | Hunterdon | X | X | X | X | X
John Stout | Hunterdon | X | X | - | - | \-
Jasper Smith | Hunterdon | X | X | - | - | \-
Thomas Lowry | Hunterdon | X | X | - | - | \-
Charles Stewart | Hunterdon | X | X | X | X | \-
Daniel Hunt | Hunterdon | X | X | - | - | \-
Ralph Hart | Hunterdon | X | X | - | - | \-
Jacob Jennings | Hunterdon | X | - | - | - | \-
Richard Stevens | Hunterdon | X | X | - | - | \-
John Stevens, Jr. | Hunterdon | X | X | - | - | \-
Thomas Stout | Hunterdon | X | X | - | - | \-
Thomas Jones | Hunterdon | X | X | - | - | \-
John Basset | Hunterdon | X | - | - | - | \-
Abraham Bonnell | Hunterdon | - | X | - | - | \-
Joseph Beavers | Hunterdon | - | X | - | - | \-
Augustine Stevenson | Hunterdon | - | - | X | N | \-
Philemon Dickinson | Hunterdon | - | - | - | - | X
John Allen | Hunterdon | - | - | - | - | X
John Combs | Middlesex | - | - | - | - | X
Moses Bloomfield | Middlesex | - | - | - | - | X
Nathaniel Heard | Middlesex | X | X | - | - | \-
William Smith | Middlesex | X | X | - | - | \-
John Dunn | Middlesex | X | X | - | - | X
John Lloyd | Middlesex | X | X | - | - | \-
Azariah Dunham | Middlesex | X | X | X | X | \-
John Schurman | Middlesex | X | X | - | - | \-
John Wetherill | Middlesex | X | X | - | X | X
David Williamson | Middlesex | X | - | - | - | \-
Jonathan Baldwin | Middlesex | X | X | - | - | \-
Jonathan Deare | Middlesex | X | X | - | - | \-
Lucas Schenck | Middlesex | - | X | - | - | \-
John Dennis | Middlesex | - | - | X | X | \-
Edward Taylor | Monmouth | X | X | X | X | X
Joseph Saltar | Monmouth | X | - | - | - | \-
Robert Montgomery | Monmouth | X | X | - | - | \-
John Holmes | Monmouth | X | X | X | X | X
Josiah Holmes | Monmouth | - | - | - | - | X
James Mott | Monmouth | - | - | - | - | X
John Covenhoven | Monmouth | X | X | X | X | X
Daniel Hendrickson | Monmouth | X | X | - | - | \-
Nicholas Van Brunt | Monmouth | X | - | - | - | \-
William Winds | Morris | X | X | X | N | \-
William De Hart | Morris | X | X | X | N | \-
William Woodhull | Morris | - | - | - | - | X
Jacob Green | Morris | - | - | - | - | X
Jonathan Stiles | Morris | X | X | - | - | \-
David Thompson | Morris | - | X | - | - | \-
Peter Dickerson | Morris | X | - | - | - | \-
Silas Condict | Morris | X | X | X | X | X
Ellis Cook | Morris | X | X | X | X | X
Jacob Drake | Morris | X | X | X | X | X
Joseph Shinn | Salem | - | - | - | - | X
Whitten Crips | Salem | - | - | - | - | X
Andrew Sinnickson | Salem | X | - | - | - | X
Robert Johnson | Salem | X | - | - | - | \-
Samuel Dick | Salem | X | - | - | - | X
Jacob Scoggin | Salem | X | X | - | - | \-
James James | Salem | X | X | - | - | \-
John Holmes | Salem | - | X | X | X | X
Benjamin Holmes | Salem | - | X | X | X | \-
Edward Keasby | Salem | - | - | X | X | \-
John Carey | Salem | - | - | X | X | \-
Ephraim Lloyd | Salem | - | X | - | - | \-
Grant Gibbon | Salem | - | - | N[10] | N | \-
Hendrick Fisher | Somerset | X | X | X | X | \-
Nathaniel Eyers | Somerset | - | X | - | - | \-
John Roy | Somerset | X | - | - | - | \-
Peter Schenck | Somerset | X | X | - | - | \-
Abraham Van Neste | Somerset | X | X | - | - | \-
Enos Kelsey | Somerset | X | X | - | - | \-
Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant | Somerset
Middlesex | X | X | - | - | X
Cornelius Van Muliner | Somerset | - | - | X | N | \-
Ruloffe Van Dyke | Somerset | - | - | X | X | \-
John Witherspoon | Somerset | - | - | - | - | X
Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh | Somerset | - | - | - | - | X
James Linn | Somerset | - | - | - | - | X
Frederick Frelinghuysen | Somerset | X | X | - | - | X
William Paterson | Somerset | X | X | - | - | X
Archibald Stewart | Sussex | X | - | - | - | \-
Edward Dumont | Sussex | X | X | - | - | \-
William Maxwell | Sussex | X | X | X | N | \-
Ephraim Martin | Sussex | X | - | X | X | X
John Budd Scott | Sussex | - | X | - | - | \-
Casper Shafer | Sussex | - | - | - | - | X
John Cleves Symmes | Sussex | - | - | - | - | X
Isaac Van Campen | Sussex | - | - | - | - | X
Mark Thomson | Sussex | - | X | X | X | \-
Hugh Hughes | Sussex | - | X | - | - | \-
William Norcross | Sussex | - | X | - | - | \-
Thomas Potts | Sussex | - | - | X | N | X
Abia (or Abijah) Brown | Sussex | - | - | X | X | \-

## See also

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* Colonial government in the Thirteen Colonies (Council and Assembly)
* Provincial Congress
* New Jersey Legislature

## References

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### Notes

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1. ^ "The New Jersey Constitution of 1776". Retrieved December 17, 2006. See also: New Jersey Legislature#Before the Legislature and the Constitution of 1776.
2. ^ a b "New Jersey Legislature, Historical Information". Retrieved August 12, 2009. See also: New Jersey Legislature#Before the Legislature and the Constitution of 1776.
3. ^ State of New Jersey. Extracts from the Journal of Proceedings of the Provincial Congress of New Jersey, held at Trenton in the Months of May, June and August 1775. Burlington, New Jersey: Issac Collins. (1775) Woodbury, New Jersey: Joseph Sailer (1835) : 3-5.
4. ^ "List of Deputies who attended in May and June" in Minutes of the Provincial Congress and the Council of Safety of the State of New Jersey (Trenton: Naar, Day & Naar, 1879), 169–170.
5. ^ "List of Deputies who attended the Session in the Month of August" in Minutes of the Provincial Congress and the Council of Safety of the State of New Jersey (Trenton: Naar, Day & Naar, 1879), 183–184.
6. ^ "List of Deputies who attended this Session" (October 1775) in Minutes of the Provincial Congress and the Council of Safety of the State of New Jersey (Trenton: Naar, Day & Naar, 1879), 197.
7. ^ "A List of the Deputies Returned to Serve in Congress" (31 January - 2 March 1776) in Minutes of the Provincial Congress and the Council of Safety of the State of New Jersey (Trenton: Naar, Day & Naar, 1879), 325–326.
8. ^ "Name of the Deputies" (10 June - 21 August 1776) in Minutes of the Provincial Congress and the Council of Safety of the State of New Jersey (Trenton: Naar, Day & Naar, 1879), 445–446.
9. ^ supra, 198–99
10. ^ a b Supra 198–199

### Further reading

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* Kemmerer, Donald L. (1940). Path to Freedom, The Struggle for Self Government in Colonial New Jersey 1703-1776. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
* McCormick, Richard P. (1964, 1970). New Jersey from Colony to State, 1609-1789. 1st Edition-Princeton: Van Nostrand; 2nd Edition—New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press.

## External links

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* Historical Information. New Jersey Legislature official website