Charles H. Voorhis Explained

Charles Henry Voorhis
Image Name:CHVoorhis.jpg
State:New Jersey
District:5th
Party:Republican
Term:March 4, 1879  - March 3, 1881
Preceded:Augustus W. Cutler
Succeeded:John Hill
Birth Date:March 13, 1833
Birth Place:Hackensack, New Jersey, US
Death Date:April 15, 1896 (aged 63)
Death Place:Jersey City, New Jersey, US
Profession:Politician, Lawyer, Judge

Charles Henry Voorhis (March 13, 1833  - April 15, 1896) was a lawyer and judge from New Jersey.

Biography

Voorhis was born in Hackensack, New Jersey.[1] [2] He attended district schools and graduated from Rutgers College in 1853. He moved to Jersey City, New Jersey, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1856, commencing practice in Jersey City. He was a delegate to the 1864 Republican National Convention, was presiding judge of Bergen County, New Jersey in 1868 and 1869 and was one of the organizers of the Hackensack Improvement Commission in 1869 as well as of Hackensack Academy. Voorhis organized and served as the first president of the Hackensack Water Company in 1873. Voorhis was one of the founders of both the Bergen County National Bank and the Hackensack Savings Bank in 1868. Both banks failed in the late 1870s, causing losses of approximately $2 million. While Voorhis was indicted for the failure of the banks, he was ultimately acquitted.[3]

He was elected a Republican to the United States House of Representatives in 1878, serving from 1879 to 1881, not being a candidate for reelection in 1880.[4]

After leaving Congress, he resumed his former business pursuits. On April 15, 1896, he killed himself in his office in downtown Jersey City, New Jersey.[1] He was interred in Hackensack Cemetery in Hackensack, New Jersey.

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Charles H. Voorhis A. Suicide. Was Formerly a Congressman and a New-Jersey Judge . Charles H. Voorhis, a well-known lawyer, whose home is at 114 Clifton Place, shot himself in his office in the Davidson Building, at Montgomery and Washington Streets, to-night. He placed the muzzle of a pistol just below his right temple, and, firing, the bullet passed almost through his head. . . April 16, 1896 . 2010-03-23 .
  2. The New York Times obit shows Hackensack as his birthplace, but his entry in the Congressional Directory lists Spring Valley, New Jersey, a neighborhood that is now part of Paramus, New Jersey.
  3. News: A Bank President Acquitted. Ex-congressman Voorhis Tried On Two Indictments. Failure Of The Prosecution . The trail of exCongressman Charles H. Voorhis, late President of the First National Bank of Hackensack, took place to-day in the United States Circuit Court, before Judges Nixon and McKennan. There were two indictments. The first charged that, being the President of the bank, he had misapplied, in January, 1877, funds of the bank to the amount of $10,000. . The New York Times . October 1, 1881 . 2010-03-23 .
  4. Web site: Charles Henry Voorhis . 2010-03-23 . Voorhis, Charles Henry, a Representative from New Jersey; born in Spring Valley [sic], Bergen County, N.J., March 13, 1833; attended the district schools; was graduated from Rutgers College, New Brunswick, N.J. .... .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Charles H. Voorhis".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.