Charles C. Stratton

Charles Creighton Stratton (March 6, 1796 – March 30, 1859) was a politician from New Jersey, who served in the United States House of Representatives and was later the 15th Governor of New Jersey.

For the dwarf of the same name, see General Tom Thumb.

Charles Creighton Stratton
15th Governor of New Jersey
In office
January 21, 1845 – January 18, 1848
Preceded byDaniel Haines
Succeeded byDaniel Haines
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's At-large district
In office
March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839
Preceded byFerdinand S. Schenck
Succeeded byDaniel B. Ryall
In office
March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843
Preceded byDaniel B. Ryall
Succeeded byDistrict eliminated
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
In office
1821
1823
1829
Personal details
Born(1796-03-06)March 6, 1796
Swedesboro, New Jersey
DiedMarch 30, 1859(1859-03-30) (aged 63)
Swedesboro, New Jersey
Political partyWhig
Spouse(s)Sarah Taggart
EducationRutgers College

Biography

He was born, and died, in Swedesboro, in Gloucester County, New Jersey.[1] He is interred at Trinity Church Cemetery in Swedesboro.[2]

He graduated from Rutgers College in 1814, and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly in 1821, 1823, and again in 1829. He was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-fifth United States Congress (1837–1839); presented credentials as a Member-elect to the Twenty-sixth Congress, but the House declined to seat him ; reelected to the Twenty-seventh United States Congress (1841–1843). He chose not to run again in 1842. Stratton served as a member of the 1844 Constitutional convention (political meeting) that created a revised New Jersey State Constitution.[1]

The new 1844 New Jersey State Constitution provided for direct election of a governor for a single three-year term. Stratton ran on the Whig ticket, and campaigned on a platform opposing the powerful railroad interests of the state. The Democratic candidate was Pennsylvania-born John R. Thomson, who was a stockholder in the railroad and a vigorous advocate of internal improvements.[3]

Stratton won, and served as governor from January 21, 1845, to January 17, 1848. After his term he resumed agricultural pursuits. He married Sarah Taggart of Philadelphia in 1854. Because of ill health, he resided in Europe in 1857 and 1858.

Although he had no children, he had two notable nephews. Benjamin Franklin Howey was a Republican member of the Forty-eighth United States Congress (1883–1885) from the 4th Congressional District. Another nephew, Thomas Preston Carpenter, served as an Associate Justice on the New Jersey Supreme Court.

His home in Woolwich Township, New Jersey, the Gov. Charles C. Stratton House, was built in 1791 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 29, 1973.[4]

References
  1. "STRATTON, Charles Creighton, (1796 - 1859)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  2. Find-A-Grave info for Charles C. Stratton Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  3. HarpWeek | American Political Prints 1766–1876 | Medium Image Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  4. New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places: Gloucester County Archived October 10, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Historic Preservation Office, October 27, 2015. Accessed November 8, 2015.
Party political offices
Preceded by
First		 Whig Nominee for Governor of New Jersey
1844		 Succeeded by
William Wright
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Philemon Dickerson, Samuel Fowler, Thomas Lee, James Parker, Ferdinand Schureman Schenck, William Norton Shinn, and William Chetwood on a General ticket		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's at-large congressional district
alongside John Bancker Aycrigg, William Halstead, John Patterson Bryan Maxwell, Joseph Fitz Randolph, and Thomas Jones Yorke on a General ticket
March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839		 Succeeded by
Joseph Fitz Randolph, William Raworth Cooper, Philemon Dickerson, Joseph Kille, Daniel Bailey Ryall, and Peter Dumont Vroom on a General ticket
Preceded by
Joseph Fitz Randolph, William Raworth Cooper, Philemon Dickerson, Joseph Kille, Daniel Bailey Ryall, and Peter Dumont Vroom on a General ticket		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's at-large congressional district
alongside John Bancker Aycrigg, William Halstead, John Patterson Bryan Maxwell, Joseph Fitz Randolph, and Thomas Jones Yorke on a General ticket
March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843		 Succeeded by
Lucius Q.C. Elmer, George Sykes, Isaac G. Farlee, Littleton Kirkpatrick, William Wright in separate districts
Political offices
Preceded by
Daniel Haines		 Governor of New Jersey
January 21, 1845 – January 18, 1848		 Succeeded by
Daniel Haines
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