I was a soldier, a lawyer, and a public servant—rooted in New Jersey, but loyal to the cause of a united nation.

I was born in Monmouth County, New Jersey, on April 12, 1758. When the call came to fight for independence, I didn’t hesitate. I entered the war young, just eighteen, as an ensign in the 2nd Regiment of the New Jersey Line. From there, I climbed the ranks—second lieutenant, then full lieutenant, and finally brevet captain. I served all the way through to November 3, 1783, right up to the moment the war was done.

After the Revolution, I traded my sword for a pen. I studied law and passed the bar in 1784. The courts became my new battleground. I served as Clerk of the Monmouth County Court of Common Pleas not once but twice, and I took up the post of Monmouth County Clerk the very year I became a lawyer.

The work didn’t stop there. I was appointed Clerk of the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1793 and held that position for a decade. I handled law with the same discipline I brought to the battlefield—quiet, steady, and sharp. In 1796, I was chosen as a Presidential Elector, casting my vote in the early days of a fragile republic.

When rebellion stirred again—this time not from across the ocean but from within—I was called to serve once more. During the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794, I was appointed colonel. And later, during the War of 1812, I was named Quartermaster General of New Jersey, charged with equipping our state’s defenders until my death.

I helped build this state not just in war and government, but in business. I co-founded the Trenton Banking Company in 1807 and served as its second president until I passed. My home stood proudly across from the State House—a reminder that New Jersey belonged to the people who built it with their own hands.

I was also a Freemason, a Warrant Master in Trinity Lodge No. 3, and later Grand Treasurer of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey. I carried duty with me in every room I entered.

I died in Trenton on February 3, 1815. But long before that, I left my mark—on the battlefield, in the courtroom, in the ledgers, and in the lawbooks.