-- New Jersey History Timeline - July
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On July 1 of 1863
Battle of Gettysburg begins as Confederates force Union defenders to abandon positions on hills in northwest of town. Over 4,000 soldiers from New Jersey are in the Battle, the sixth-highest contingent of the Union states. On July 2 of 1776
New Jersey Provincial Congress approves first constitution as a new state, which grants right to vote to "all inhabitants...of full age, who are worth fifty pounds...," thus allowing the vote to women holding property in their own name. Women would continue to vote until 1807, when the legislature restricted the vote to males. 
On July 3 of 1863
Three days of fighting at Gettysburg conclude with the Confederates suffering devastating losses in Pickett's Charge assaulting the center of the Union line. The Union defenders include the 12th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, which takes an estimated 2,000 prisoners. On July 4 of 1776
Declaration of Independence is approved by the Continental Congress. The five signers from New Jersey are John Witherspoon, president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton), Richard Stockton, a Princeton lawyer, John Hart, a wealthy Hunterdon County farmer and mill owner, Francis Hopkinson, a Bordentown lawyer, and Abraham Clark, an Elizabethtown surveyor. On July 5 of 1900 Shortly after midnight, a fire started by a lightning strike on a tavern and boarding house in Bayonne spreads to the nearby refinery complex of the Standard Oil Co., causing extensive damage to the refinery and the city. On the next day, Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller comes to Bayonne to view the fire, which continues for 70 hours. The film below shot by Thomas A. Edison, Inc., shows scenes of the fire and the efforts to control it. On July 6 of 1916
Charles Bruder, a 27-year-old Swiss bell captain at the Essex & Sussex Hotel in Spring Lake, is killed when bitten by a shark while swimming 130 yards off the beach. It is the second of three shark attacks in which four people are killed and one injured. The story of the Jersey Shore attacks later would be loosely adapted by author Peter Benchley for his 1974 best-selling novel Jaws and the subsequent 1975 motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg. On July 7 of 1930 An explosion at the fireworks factory owned by Frank Cimino in Neptune Township kills four, including Cimino's nine-year-old daughter, his 11-month-old son, his 72-year-old father and a two-month-old baby girl. On July 8 of 1970
Governor William Cahill requests that President Nixon declare Asbury Park a disaster area as a result of widespread damage from rioting sparked by racial unrest |
On July 9 of 1985
Herschel Walker of the New Jersey Generals is named the Most Valuable Player of the United States Football League
Herschel Walker of the New Jersey Generals is named the Most Valuable Player of the United States Football League
On July 10 of 1926
A series of explosions initially begun by a lightning strike at the U.S. Naval Powder Depot at Picatinny Arsenal kills 19 people over a three-day period.
A series of explosions initially begun by a lightning strike at the U.S. Naval Powder Depot at Picatinny Arsenal kills 19 people over a three-day period.
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On July 11 of 1804 Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounds former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton during a pistol duel in Weehawken. After Hamilton is taken across the Hudson to Manhattan, he dies the next day, with his age believed to be 47 or 49 due to uncertainty relating to the date of his birth out of wedlock. Burr was indicted for murder in New Jersey, but the charge was dismissed on appeal. The same site in Weehawken was used for 18 known duels between 1700 and 1845, including the 1801 duel that killed Hamilton's eldest son Philip Hamilton. |
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On July 12 of 1967
Four days of rioting begin in Newark after an African American cab driver is arrested on a traffic offense and is seen being dragged by police into the police station. The disturbances result in 26 deaths and over 700 injuries.
Four days of rioting begin in Newark after an African American cab driver is arrested on a traffic offense and is seen being dragged by police into the police station. The disturbances result in 26 deaths and over 700 injuries.
On July 13 of 2004
Record flooding occurs in parts of Camden, Burlington and Ocean counties after rainfall which began on July 12 exceeds 13 inches in some areas.
Record flooding occurs in parts of Camden, Burlington and Ocean counties after rainfall which began on July 12 exceeds 13 inches in some areas.
On July 13 of 1959
Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy speaks at the Governor's Day Picnic in Spring Lake sponsored by the Essex County Democratic Committee. Kennedy focuses on the problems of aging cities, saying in part "We are not stopping the decay of our cities. Urban blight is spreading faster than our urban renewal programs can choke it. We have delayed, we have compromised, we have postponed, watered down and backed down..."
Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy speaks at the Governor's Day Picnic in Spring Lake sponsored by the Essex County Democratic Committee. Kennedy focuses on the problems of aging cities, saying in part "We are not stopping the decay of our cities. Urban blight is spreading faster than our urban renewal programs can choke it. We have delayed, we have compromised, we have postponed, watered down and backed down..."
On July 14 of 1777
George Washington and his officers stay at the Van Allen House in what is now Oakland in Bergen County on their way north from Morristown to join other Continental forces on the Hudson River near West Point.
George Washington and his officers stay at the Van Allen House in what is now Oakland in Bergen County on their way north from Morristown to join other Continental forces on the Hudson River near West Point.
On July 15 of 1996
MSNBC, the television-Internet news network partnership of Microsoft and NBC, goes live with its $65 million, "fully digital" television studios in a 115,000-square-foot former warehouse in Secaucus
MSNBC, the television-Internet news network partnership of Microsoft and NBC, goes live with its $65 million, "fully digital" television studios in a 115,000-square-foot former warehouse in Secaucus
On July 16 of 1790
President George Washington signs the Residence Act of 1790 establishing the District of Columbia as the capital of the United States. The legislation, enacted as a compromise including a measure for the federal government to assume the debts of the individual states incurred during the Revolutionary War, ended New Jersey's efforts to have Trenton designated as the national capital, which had included the state legislature's offer of land and money for the construction of government buildings. From November 1 to December 24, 1784, the Congress had met at the French Arms Tavern, then Trenton’s largest building, thus temporarily serving as the seat of the federal government and where on December 11 the Marquis de Lafayette gave his farewell to the nation.
President George Washington signs the Residence Act of 1790 establishing the District of Columbia as the capital of the United States. The legislation, enacted as a compromise including a measure for the federal government to assume the debts of the individual states incurred during the Revolutionary War, ended New Jersey's efforts to have Trenton designated as the national capital, which had included the state legislature's offer of land and money for the construction of government buildings. From November 1 to December 24, 1784, the Congress had met at the French Arms Tavern, then Trenton’s largest building, thus temporarily serving as the seat of the federal government and where on December 11 the Marquis de Lafayette gave his farewell to the nation.
On July 17 of 1780
A British officer leads a contingent of Loyalists to capture four prominent revolutionary leaders in Newark, including Major Samuel Hayse.
A British officer leads a contingent of Loyalists to capture four prominent revolutionary leaders in Newark, including Major Samuel Hayse.
On July 18 of 1951
'Jersey Joe Walcott' (real name Arnold Raymond Cream) becomes heavyweight champion when he knocks out Ezzard Charles in the seventh round in Pittsburgh. Born in Pennsauken in 1914, at age 37 Walcott is the oldest at that point to become champion.
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On July 19 of 2020 Roy Den Hollander, a 72-year-old attorney and self-described men's rights activist, appears disguised as a FedEx delivery man at the North Brunswick home of U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas, whom he had appeared before in litigation, and shoots and wounds her husband and kills her 20-year-old son. On the next day, Hollander is found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in upstate New York and is identified as the primary suspect in a prior murder in California of another men's rights attorney. A bill pending in the Congress, The Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act, also known as Daniel’s Law in honor of Judge Salas’ late son. would restrict release of private information relating to federal judges which might be used to identify their residences. Governor Murphy signed similar legislation into state law in November 2020. |
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On July 20 of 1967
The first national Black Power Conference brings over a thousand people and some 300 organizations to Newark to discuss issues facing African-Americans.
On July 21 of 1959
The first nuclear powered merchant ship, NS Savannah, is launched in Camden, with First Lady Mamie Eisenhower in attendance, after construction at the shipyard of the New York Shipbuilding Corporation. The ship was built with the active support of President Eisenhower as an example of how nuclear power could be utilized for peaceful purposes. The ship was in service for eight years, and is currently preserved for public viewing in Baltimore.
On July 21 of 1959
The first nuclear powered merchant ship, NS Savannah, is launched in Camden, with First Lady Mamie Eisenhower in attendance, after construction at the shipyard of the New York Shipbuilding Corporation. The ship was built with the active support of President Eisenhower as an example of how nuclear power could be utilized for peaceful purposes. The ship was in service for eight years, and is currently preserved for public viewing in Baltimore.
On July 22 of 1994
Billy Joel and Elton John begin the first of five duet concerts at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands
On July 23 of 1984
Vanessa Williams, the first African American Miss America, resigns her title under pressure from the Miss America Pageant due to scheduled publication in Penthouse magazine of nude photos of her taken when she was 19. The Pageant names Suzette Charles, who as Miss New Jersey was the first runner-up to Williams, as her successor to serve for the weeks until a new Miss America was crowned in September. In 2015, Williams returned at the invitation of the Pageant as a judge of the competitors, with the Pageant chief executive giving her a public apology for how she was treated in 1984.
On July 24 of 1974
New Jersey Congressman Peter Rodino, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, opens public hearings in Washington DC on the impeachment of President Richard Nixon.
New Jersey Congressman Peter Rodino, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, opens public hearings in Washington DC on the impeachment of President Richard Nixon.
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On July 25 of 1790
William Livingston, first governor of the state of New Jersey elected by the legislature to 13 consecutive single-year terms after the Declaration of Independence, dies at his home near Elizabethtown at the age of 67. |
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On July 27 of 1974
The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, chaired by New Jersey Congressman Peter Rodino, votes 27 to 11 to recommend the first article of impeachment (for obstruction of justice) against President Richard Nixon.
The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, chaired by New Jersey Congressman Peter Rodino, votes 27 to 11 to recommend the first article of impeachment (for obstruction of justice) against President Richard Nixon.
On July 28 of 1957
An Air Force C-124 Globemaster transport aircraft which took off from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on a routine flight to Europe has two of its four engines fail and is forced to dump cargo in the Atlantic, including two of its three nuclear bombs, in order to make an emergency landing at the Atlantic City Naval Air Station. Despite an extensive search, the bombs, which did not have their nuclear cores inserted, were never recovered.
An Air Force C-124 Globemaster transport aircraft which took off from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on a routine flight to Europe has two of its four engines fail and is forced to dump cargo in the Atlantic, including two of its three nuclear bombs, in order to make an emergency landing at the Atlantic City Naval Air Station. Despite an extensive search, the bombs, which did not have their nuclear cores inserted, were never recovered.
On July 29 of 2020
In his update to the media on the status of the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Murphy states that recent increases in cases have been traced to a series of prohibited indoor house parties, including ones in Middletown; Long Beach Island; and in Jackson which involved an estimated 700 people. The Governor also reports that the newer cases include a relatively high number of teens aged 14 to 19.
On July 30 of 1916
An explosion of 100,000 pounds of TNT at the Black Tom munitions terminal in the harbor of Jersey City extensively damages the port facilities, propels shrapnel through the torch of the Statue of Liberty and shatters windows as far away as Times Square in Manhattan. The explosion kills at least four and is later attributed to sabotage by German agents seeking to disrupt US shipments of munitions to nations fighting against Germany in World War I.
An explosion of 100,000 pounds of TNT at the Black Tom munitions terminal in the harbor of Jersey City extensively damages the port facilities, propels shrapnel through the torch of the Statue of Liberty and shatters windows as far away as Times Square in Manhattan. The explosion kills at least four and is later attributed to sabotage by German agents seeking to disrupt US shipments of munitions to nations fighting against Germany in World War I.
On July 31 of 1975
Former Teamsters Union President Jimmy Hoffa is reported missing after failing to return from a meeting on the day before at a restaurant near Detroit in Bloomfield Township, Michigan. He is believed to have been murdered, possibly to prevent him from disclosing mob infiltration of the Teamsters, with suspects including Tony Provenzano, president of Teamsters Local 560 in Jersey City and an alleged member of the Genovese Mafia family. Hoffa's body has never been found, but some reports were that it was transported to New Jersey and buried in the foundation of the former Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands. In 2019, however, another theory was advanced that his body was buried in a metal drum in the PJP Landfill in Jersey City, also known as "Brother Moscato's Dump," which was co-owned by a Genovese crime family member.