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Mahlon Dickerson
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| In office July 1, 1834 – June 30, 1838 |
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| Preceded by | Levi Woodbury |
| Succeeded by | James K. Paulding |
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| In office October 26, 1815 – February 1, 1817 |
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| Preceded by | William Sanford Pennington |
| Succeeded by | Isaac Halstead Williamson |
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United States Senator from New Jersey (Class 2)
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| In office March 4, 1817 – January 30, 1829 |
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| Preceded by | John Condit |
| Succeeded by | Theodore Frelinghuysen |
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United States Senator from New Jersey (Class 1)
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| In office January 30, 1829 – March 3, 1833 |
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| Preceded by | Ephraim Bateman |
| Succeeded by | Samuel L. Southard |
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| Born | April 17, 1770 Hanover Township, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | October 5, 1853 (aged 83) Succasunna, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican, Democrat |
| Alma mater | College of New Jersey |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer, Judge |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | New Jersey Detached Militia |
| Rank | Private |
| Battles/wars | Whiskey Rebellion |
Mahlon Dickerson (April 17, 1770 – October 5, 1853) was an American judge and politician. He was elected Governor of New Jersey as well as United States Senator from that state. He was twice appointed Secretary of the Navy --under Presidents Andrew Jackson and Martin van Buren. He was the elder brother of New Jersey Governor Philemon Dickerson.
Born in Hanover Township, New Jersey, he educated by private tutors and graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1789. He then studied the law and was admitted to the bar in 1793.
During the Whiskey Rebellion, he served as a private in the Second Regiment Cavalry, New Jersey Detached Militia.
After his militia service, he settled in Philadelphia, and began practicing in Pennsylvania courts in 1797. He was named state commissioner of bankruptcy in 1802, served as adjutant general of Pennsylvania from 1805 to 1808, and as Philadelphia city recorder from 1808 to 1810.
He returned to New Jersey, settling in Morris County in 1810. Elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1811, he served one term. He was law reporter for the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1813 to 1814, and a justice of the same from 1813 to 1815. He was elected Governor of New Jersey in 1815 and served until 1817, having been elected as a Democratic-Republican to the United States Senate in 1816.
Dickerson served in the Senate from March 4, 1817 to January 30, 1829, when he resigned, but he was immediately reelected to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Ephraim Bateman and served from January 30, 1829, to March 3, 1833, for a total of 16 years of service. Dickerson served as chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Library during the 15th Congress, chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce and Manufactures for the 16th through 18th Congresses and the U.S. Senate Committee on Manufactures from the 19th through 22nd Congresses.
In 1833, upon leaving the Senate, he was elected to the New Jersey State Council for Morris County and served as Vice President for that term. In 1834 he declined appointment as Minister to Russia. In June of that year, he was appointed Secretary of the Navy by President Andrew Jackson and was reappointed by President Martin Van Buren, serving until June 1838. The destroyer USS Dickerson was named in his honor.
In 1840, he was appointed judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey as a place holder so his brother Philemon wouldn't have to give up his seat in the closely divided House of Representatives until very near the end of the Congress and the Van Buren Administration, so he served less than one year. President Van Buren nominated Dickerson on July 14, 1840 to a seat vacated by William Rossell. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 21, 1840, and received commission on July 23, 1840. Dickerson resigned from the court on February 16, 1841. He was also a delegate to the New Jersey constitutional convention of 1844.
Dickerson died in 1853 in Succasunna, New Jersey and is interred at Presbyterian Cemetery, Succasunna.
External links
- Mahlon Dickerson at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Mahlon Dickerson at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- Biography of Mahlon Dickerson, New Jersey State Library
- New Jersey Governor Mahlon Dickerson, National Governors Association
- Article at "Discovering Lewis & Clark"
- Biography of Mahlon Dickerson from The Political Graveyard
- Mahlon Dickerson at Find a Grave
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by William Sanford Pennington |
Governor of New Jersey October 26, 1815 - February 1, 1817 |
Succeeded by Isaac Halstead Williamson |
| United States Senate | ||
| Preceded by John Condit |
United States Senator (Class 2) from New Jersey March 4, 1817–January 30, 1829 Served alongside: James J. Wilson, Samuel L. Southard, Joseph McIlvaine, Ephraim Bateman |
Succeeded by Theodore Frelinghuysen |
| Preceded by Ephraim Bateman |
United States Senator (Class 1) from New Jersey January 30, 1829–March 3, 1833 Served alongside: Theodore Frelinghuysen |
Succeeded by Samuel L. Southard |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by Levi Woodbury |
United States Secretary of the Navy 1834 – 1838 |
Succeeded by James K. Paulding |
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