much of it as possible; and when he sur rendered political life and gave his whole time to his profession, he had very little difficulty in securing a return of his many clients. He continued to practise at Somerville until 1861, when, at the elevation of Judge Whelpley to the Chief-Justiceship, Governor Olden, who rarely erred in his appointments, selected him to fill the vacancy thus created. But at that time the fearful disease which finally caused his death, had a firm grip upon him. This disease very soon developed itself after he became an Associate Justice, and he felt it to be his duty to resign, but yielded to the solicitations of his numerous friends, at the bar and elsewhere, who urged him to remain. He was over-persuaded, and reluctantly re tained his position against his own better judgment, but soon learned that it would be impossible for him properly to discharge the duties of the position, and he finally resigned and soon after died, in the very prime of his life, and when it seemed that he would be come most useful to his State and his fellowcitizens. The Woodhull family in New Jersey has been remarkable for the piety of its members. It has given to the State many distinguished clergymen, whose memory still lingers in the churches. One of them, the Rev. John Woodhull, D.D., was pastor for thirty years in the historic Tennent Church, near Freehold, and another was settled over several parishes in the State. The Rev. Nathan Woodhull, D.D., held a very advanced place among the clergy of his denomination in the lower part of New York. Yet, strange to say, the fam ily, or at least some of them, claim as their ancestor a warrior of rude Norse stock, who came with William the Conqueror from Nor mandy and aided him in the conquest of England. Others say that the Norman an cestor came from France before the English conquest, made his way to Wales, was recog nized as noble there, and that one of his lineal descendants came to this country two hundred years ago, settled in Long Island, from whom came the founder of the family
in New Jersey. From the New Jersey race, which settled in the State nearly two hundred years ago, came George Spofford Woodhull, who was born near Freehold, Monmouth County, and was the son of John T. Woodhull, M.D., an eminent phy sician of that county. The family had longbeen identified with the society and inter ests of Monmouth, and had given tone and character to its people. The grandfather of Judge Woodhull, the Rev. John Woodhull, D.D., who ministered so long in the Tennent congregation, by his talents and blameless life, had been influential for many years not only in Church but in State. It was under such influence and amid such surroundings that young Woodhull passed his early life and was prepared for his useful and busy career. He received a careful preparation for college at home; but to fit him more perfectly was sent to the Academy at Princeton, where he pursued a special cur riculum of study in direct connection with the college, which he entered in 1830, and was graduated with honor in 1833. He entered the office of Richard S. Field, then practising at Princeton, afterward Judge of the United States District Court of New Jersey, and was licensed as an attorney in 1839 and as counsellor in 1842. Immedi ately after graduation he opened an office at Freehold, and soon gathered around him a very respectable clientage. Family influence, of course, largely aided him, but it would have been of little use to him after a short time if his own talents and character had not been such as to command respect and invite confidence. Atlantic County had been taken from Gloucester, and made an independent organ ization. This opened a new field of operations forayoungattorney,andin 1850 Mr. Woodhull transferred his office to May's Landing, the capital of the new county. Very soon after this removal the Governor made him Prose cutor of the Pleas for Atlantic. He per formed the duties of the position so entirely to the satisfaction of the Governor that
