1730-1781

• STOCKTON, Richard,
  father of Richard Stockton 1764-1828,
  • grandfather of Richard Stockton Field and
    Robert Field Stockton,
  • great-grandfather of John Potter Stockton,
• Delegate from New Jersey;
• born at "Morven," near Princeton, Somerset County, N.J., October 1, 1730;
• attended Nottingham Academy in Cecil County, Md.,
• graduated in the first class from Princeton College, in 1748;
• studied law;
• admitted to the bar in 1754 and commenced practice in Princeton, N.J.;
• member of the executive council of New Jersey from November 2, 1768, to June 17, 1776;
• associate justice of the State supreme court from February 28, 1774, to June 17, 1776;
• Member of the Continental Congress in 1776;
• Signer of Declaration of Independence;
• unsuccessful candidate for Governor of New Jersey on August 31, 1776;
• elected chief justice of the State supreme court on August 31, 1776, but declined the office; resumed the practice of law;
• died at "Morven," near Princeton, N.J., February 28, 1781;
• interment in Stoney Brook Meeting House Burial Ground near Princeton, N.J.