Library of Congress

STOCKTON, John Potter, (son of Robert Field Stockton, grandson of Richard Stockton [1764-1828], great-grandson of Richard Stockton [1730-1781]), a Senator from New Jersey; born in Princeton, N.J., August 2, 1826; attended private schools and graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1843; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1846 and practiced in Princeton and Trenton, N.J.; State reporter to the court of chancery 1852-1858; United States Minister to Italy 1858-1861; practiced law in Trenton, N.J.; presented credentials as a Democratic Senator-elect to the United States Senate and served from March 15, 1865, to March 27, 1866, when, the election being in dispute, the Senate declared the seat vacant; again elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1869, to March 3, 1875; resumed the practice of his profession; attorney general of New Jersey 1877-1897; died in New York City on January 22, 1900; interment in Princeton Cemetery, Princeton, N.J.