Person:Robert Stockton (11)

Watchers
Robert Field Stockton
b.20 Aug 1795 Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey, United States
d.7 Oct 1866 Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey, United States
Parents and Siblings
(edit)
m. 1788
  1. Julia Stockton1793 - 1863
  2. Robert Field Stockton1795 - 1866
  3. Samuel Witham Stockton1801 - 1836
  4. William Bradford Stockton1802 - 1843
  5. Annis Stockton1804 - 1842
  6. Mary Field Stockton
  7. Richard Stockton
  8. Horatio Stockton
  9. Caroline Stockton
Spouse and Children
(edit)
m. 4 Mar 1823
  1. Richard Stockton1824 - 1876
  2. Rev. John Potter Stockton1826 - 1900
  3. Catherine Elizabeth Stockton1827 - 1874
  4. Robert Field Stockton1828 - 1829
  5. Mary Stockton1830 - 1889
  6. Gen. Robert Field Stockton1832 - 1898
  7. Harriet Maria Stockton1834 - 1901
  8. Julia Stockton1837 - 1887
  9. Caroline Stockton1839 -
  10. Annis Stockton1843 - 1890
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Facts and Events
Name Robert Field Stockton
Gender Male
Birth[1][3] 20 Aug 1795 Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey, United Statesat Morven estate
Military[3] 1812 War of 1812 -
Marriage 4 Mar 1823 to Harriet Maria Potter
Military[3] 1846 Mexican-American war -
Military[3] 1863 New Jersey, United StatesCivil war - appointed to command NJ militia
Death[1][3] 7 Oct 1866 Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey, United States
Burial[4] Princeton Cemetery, Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey, United States
Reference Number? Q878374?
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Notes

  • matriculated at Princeton
  • 1810 - withdrew to join US Navy to protect US seamen from British forces
  • Aft 1808 - made a name for himself by focusing on suppression of African slave trade as prohibited by US federal government (Note: he did not support the abolition of slavery, just the African slave trade.)
  • used Princeton connections to obtain command of USS Alligator which captured four foreign slave ships
  • 1821 - obtained African territory (later Liberia) on behalf of the American Colonization Society (ACS) to establish a colony for free black Americans and liberated African slaves
    • "I have great satisfaction in the reflection that I have procrastinated the slavery of some 800 Africans, and have broken off this horrible traffic to the northward of Cape Palmas for at least this season." [Robert Stockton to Smith Thompson, 27 May 1821]
  • 1822 - local African groups attacked Liberia colony, but British mediation intervenes
  • 1825 - elected President of New Jersey chapter of ACS
  • inherited Morven estate in Princeton
  • 1835 - bought Sea Girt property in Monmouth county, NJ
  • 1843 - paid tribute to his extensive family ties to Princeton by naming new naval ship the USS Princeton
    • USS Princeton was armed with defective guns which exploded in 1844, killing two cabinet secretaries and several others, but Captain Stockton was cleared of any wrongdoing in court.
  • sent to Texas by President James K Polk with an offer to annex Texas
  • 1846-1848 - played an instrumental role in American seizure of California from Mexico as Commodore during Mexican-American War which accelerated the slavery conflict and led to the Civil War
  • 1848 - bought Tellurium gold mine in Goochland and Fluvanna counties, VA
  • 1850 - resigned from US Navy
  • From 1851 to 1853 - Democrat representative from New Jersey in US Senate
  • From 1853 to 1866 - resigned from US Senate to become president of Delaware and Raritan Canal Company
  • 1863 - appointed to command New Jersey militia in Civil War
  • 1861 - delegate to Washington Peace Conference which offered to make slavery permanent
References
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Navigating Slavery: Robert F. Stockton and the Limits of Antislavery Thought [1].
  2.   .

    Robert Stockton to Smith Thompson, 27 May 1821, p. 1, Miscellaneous Letters Received by the Secretary of the Navy, 1801-1884, M124, Roll No. 90 (May 2 – August 22, 1821); National Archives Building, Washington, D.C.

  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Robert F. Stockton, in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia
    last accessed Sep 2022.

    Robert Field Stockton (August 20, 1795 – October 7, 1866) was a United States Navy commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican–American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam-powered navy. Stockton was from a notable political family and also served as a U.S. senator from New Jersey. ...

  4. ↑ 4462 , in Find A Grave
    includes photos, last accessed Sep 2022.
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