Charles H. Voorhis

Charles Henry Voorhis
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 5th district
In office
March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881
Preceded by Augustus W. Cutler
Succeeded by John Hill
Personal details
Born March 13, 1833
Hackensack, New Jersey, USA
Died April 15, 1896 (aged 63)
Jersey City, New Jersey, USA
Political party Republican
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][4]

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 committed suicide in his office in downtown Jersey City, New Jersey.[1] He was interred in New York Cemetery in Hackensack, New Jersey.

References

  1. 1 2 "Charles H. Voorhis A. Suicide. Was Formerly a Congressman and a New-Jersey Judge". New York Times. April 16, 1896. Retrieved 2010-03-23. 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.
  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. ↑ "A Bank President Acquitted. Ex-congressman Voorhis Tried On Two Indictments. Failure Of The Prosecution". New York Times. October 1, 1881. Retrieved 2010-03-23. 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.
  4. 1 2 "Charles Henry Voorhis". United States Congress. Retrieved 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. ...
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Augustus W. Cutler		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 5th congressional district
March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881 		Succeeded by
John Hill
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