Frelinghuysen, Theodore, 1787–1862, American politician and educator, b. Franklin, N.J. Admitted to the bar in 1808, he practiced law in Newark and soon gained political prominence. As U.S. senator (1829–35), he won renown for his speech opposing the removal of the Cherokee and other southern Native Americans to lands W of the Mississippi. He was mayor of Newark (1836–39) until he became (1839) chancellor of New York Univ. In 1844 he was vice presidential candidate on the Whig ticket with Henry Clay. From 1850 until his death, Frelinghuysen was president of Rutgers College (now Rutgers Univ.).
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