William Paterson (1745-1806) [Sec 14, Lot 1]

Member of the NJ Provincial Congress during the Revolution, delegate to the New Jersey Constitutional Convention of, NJ Attorney general, headed the New Jersey delegation to the federal Constitutional Convention, and in 1789, one of NJ first two U.S. senators, Governor of New Jersey, Associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

William Paterson (Patterson) was born in County Antrim, Ireland, in 1745. When he was almost 2 years of age, his family emigrated to America, arriving in what is now New Castle, Delaware., finally settling in Princeton, NJ. His father was initially a travelling salesman of tin-ware, eventually becoming a merchant and manufacturer of tin goods in Princeton. His father’s wealth allowed William to attend local private schools and the College of New Jersey (later Princeton). He received a B.A. in 1763 and an M.A. 3 years later.

Paterson studied law in the city of Princeton under Richard Stockton, who later was a signer to the Declaration of Independence, and thereafter began a law practice in New Bromley, Hunterdon County. Soon after, he moved to South Branch, in Somerset County, and then in 1779 relocated near New Brunswick at Raritan estate.

When the War for Independence broke out, Paterson served in the provincial congress (1775-76), the constitutional convention (1776), legislative council (1776-77), and council of safety (1777). He also held a commission in the militia. From 1776 to 1783 he was attorney general of New Jersey, a task that occupied so much of his time that it prevented him from accepting election to the Continental Congress in 1780.In 1779, he married his first wife, Cornelia Bell, having three children before her death in 1783. Two years later, he took a new bride, Euphemia White, but it is not known whether or not they had children.

Moving to the city of New Brunswick in 1783, Paterson devoted his energies to the law and stayed out of the public limelight. In 1787, Paterson became a NJ representative to the federal Constitutional Convention. Initially, he took notes of the proceedings. Later he proposed what became known as the "Paterson Plan," which sought to balance power between the larger and smaller states.

In 1789 Paterson was elected to the U.S. Senate from New Jersey (1789-90), where he played a pivotal role in drafting the Judiciary Act of 1789. His next position was governor of his state (1790-93). During this time, he began work on the volume later published as Laws of the State of New Jersey (1800) and began to revise the rules and practices of the chancery and common law courts.

From 1793-1806, Paterson served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court appointed by President George Washington. In 1803, he was injured in a carriage accident. Although debilitated from his injuries he remained undistracted from his judicial duty.

In September 1806, his health failing, the 60-year-old Paterson embarked on a journey to Ballston Spa, NY, for a cure but died enroute in Albany at the home of his daughter; the wife of Stephen Van Rensselaer. Paterson was at first laid to rest in the nearby Van Rensselaer manor house family vault, but later his body was moved to the Albany Rural Cemetery, Menands, NY.