-- New Jersey History Timeline - November
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On November 1 of 1784 The Continental Congress meets at the French Arms Tavern in Trenton and would continue its session until adjourning on December 24, subsequently re-convening in New York City On November 2 of 1783
General George Washington issues his "Farewell Orders to the Armies of the United States" from his headquarters in Rocky Hill, just north of Princeton in what is now a section of Franklin Township in Somerset County. 
On November 3 of 1926
The trial begins in the Somerset County Court House in Somerville in the Hall–Mills murder case. The case involved the murders in 1922 in Somerset of an Episcopal priest and a married woman who was a member of his choir with whom he was having an affair. The priest's wife and her brothers were acquitted in the month-long trial and no one else is ever convicted of the murders. On November 4 of 2001
New Jersey native and Rutgers alumnus James Gandolfini wins his second Emmy Award as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Tony Soprano in The Sopranos. The ceremony is held after being re-scheduled from its original date of September 16 due to the September 11 terrorism attacks. 
On November 5 of 1912
New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic nominee, is elected president, receiving 42% of the popular vote, defeating the Progressive Party candidate and former President Theodore Roosevelt with 27%, incumbent Republican President William Howard Taft with 23% and the Socialist Party's Eugene Debs with 6%. On November 5 of 1951 The New Jersey Turnpike opens to traffic, with the first toll paid at Interchange 2 at 8:10 a.m. |
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On November 6 of 1869
Rutgers College defeats the College of New Jersey (renamed Princeton University in 1896) by a score of 6 to 4 in New Brunswick in the first official intercollegiate American football game. 
On November 7 of 1985 U.S. District Court Judge H. Lee Sarokin releases his decision to issue a writ of habeas corpus freeing from prison former middleweight boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter who had been convicted of the murders.in 1966 of two white men and a woman in a Paterson bar., stating that “The extensive record clearly demonstrates that [the] petitioners’ convictions were predicated upon an appeal to racism rather than reason, and concealment rather than disclosure.” The judge found that prosecutors had improperly suggested to the jury that racial revenge was the motive for the murders and also had withheld evidence in the trial of Carter and his co-defendant John Artis. Carter had spent most of the past 19 years in New Jersey prisons, serving two consecutive life sentences for the murders. Artis was released on parole in 1981, after serving nearly 15 years of a life sentence. The case had sparked national attention, with protest marches including heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali and was the focus of the song "Hurricane" co-written by Bob Dylan first released in 1975 after Dylan had visited Carter in Rahway State Prison. 
On November 7 of 1973 Sylvia Pressler, hearing examiner for the New Jersey Civil Rights Division, issues a ruling--later upheld by the Superior Court--which declares that girls are deprived of their civil rights by being barred from playing Little League Baseball, leading to the Little League revising its rules to allow girls to play in all its global programs.
On November 9 of 1935
At the convention of the American Federation of Labor in Atlantic City, John L. Lewis, head of the United Mine Workers, and other industrial union leaders announce the creation of the Committee on Industrial Organization. Initially, the CIO was formed as a unit within the AFL, but in 1938 became an independent organization under the name of the Congress of Industrial Organizations. 
On November 10 of 1766
William Franklin, New Jersey's last Royal Governor (and the illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin), issues a charter for the establishment of Queen's College (renamed Rutgers College in 1825). 
On November 11 of 1918
World War I hostilities end after signing of armistice in France. New Jersey was the source for more than 140,000 conscripts and volunteers, with 3,836 dying in combat or from accident and disease and eight awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Camp Dix became a primary training site for soldiers, many of whom embarked to Europe by ship through Hoboken, and after the armistice served as a demobilization center. 
On November 12 of 1831
The first locomotive powered by steam, the "John Bull," is operated by the Camden and Amboy Railroad on its line in Bordentown. On November 13 of 1927 Holland Tunnel first opened to traffic connecting New York and New Jersey, followed some 10 years later by Lincoln Tunnel On November 14 of 1969
NASA's Apollo 12 Mission--the second mission in which humans land on the moon and the first with an extensive walk after landing--is launched, commanded by Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr., an alumnus in the Class of 1953 of Princeton University, who carries four University flags with him. |
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On November 15 of 2004 Governor James E. McGreevey's resignation is effective. He had announced his intention to resign at an appearance in the State House on the previous August 4 during which he stated, "My truth is that I am a gay American." McGreevey is succeeded by Senate President Richard Codey, who serves concurrently in the Senate and as Acting Governor under the process then in effect under the state Constitution. |
On November 16 of 2006
Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize winning economist who spent his youth in Rahway and was an alumnus of Rutgers University in the Class of 1932, dies at the age of 94.
Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize winning economist who spent his youth in Rahway and was an alumnus of Rutgers University in the Class of 1932, dies at the age of 94.
On November 17 of 1944
Daniel Michael "Danny" DeVito, later a prominent actor, director and producer who received Emmy and Golden Globe awards for his acting in the television series Taxi, is born in Neptune.
Daniel Michael "Danny" DeVito, later a prominent actor, director and producer who received Emmy and Golden Globe awards for his acting in the television series Taxi, is born in Neptune.
On November 18 of 1776
Continental Army troops, after the British seize Fort Washington in New York, escape by ship to cross the Hudson to Fort Lee.
Continental Army troops, after the British seize Fort Washington in New York, escape by ship to cross the Hudson to Fort Lee.
On November 19 of 1850
The first life insurance policy issued to a woman is bought by 36-year-old Carolyn Ingraham of Madison.
The first life insurance policy issued to a woman is bought by 36-year-old Carolyn Ingraham of Madison.
On November 20 of 1789
The New Jersey Legislature, meeting in Perth Amboy, ratifies the Bill of Rights, making New Jersey the first state to do so.
The New Jersey Legislature, meeting in Perth Amboy, ratifies the Bill of Rights, making New Jersey the first state to do so.
On November 20 of 1776
British and Hessian troops cross the Hudson River to attack the Continental Army at Fort Lee, forcing its retreat south across New Jersey.
British and Hessian troops cross the Hudson River to attack the Continental Army at Fort Lee, forcing its retreat south across New Jersey.
On November 21 of 1776
George Washington writes a letter to General Charles Lee stationed in Westchester County in New York to report the loss of Fort Lee and order Lee to bring his forces to New Jersey. Lee delays following the order, and when he does arrive in New Jersey is soon taken prisoner by the British when he visits a tavern in Basking Ridge, apparently to seek comfort from a prostitute. The incident is one of a series of conflicts which eventually leads to Lee's termination from the military.
George Washington writes a letter to General Charles Lee stationed in Westchester County in New York to report the loss of Fort Lee and order Lee to bring his forces to New Jersey. Lee delays following the order, and when he does arrive in New Jersey is soon taken prisoner by the British when he visits a tavern in Basking Ridge, apparently to seek comfort from a prostitute. The incident is one of a series of conflicts which eventually leads to Lee's termination from the military.
On November 22 of 1963
President John F. Kennedy assassinated in Dallas. New Jersey governments and businesses close during mourning period through Kennedy funeral on November 25.
President John F. Kennedy assassinated in Dallas. New Jersey governments and businesses close during mourning period through Kennedy funeral on November 25.
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On November 23 of 1876 New York City's Tammany Hall Democratic political boss William "Boss" Tweed is transferred to authorities in New York and returned to prison following his escape to Spain to avoid standing trial in a civil suit seeking recovery of millions in funds from alleged illegal kickbacks and embezzlement. A key factor in Tweed's downfall was the series of caricatures published in Harper's Weekly drawn by Thomas Nast, who relocated to Morristown from New York in 1870, depicting the corruption of the Tweed Ring. 
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Thomas Nast
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On November 23 of 1863
During Battle at Missionary Ridge at Chattanooga, Tennessee, Lt. John Toffey of 33rd New Jersey regiment is wounded and awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism. Toffey was later present at Ford’s Theater on the night of April 14, 1865, when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. After the war he served two terms as Hudson County sheriff, served as state treasurer of New Jersey from 1875 to 1891, as an alderman of Jersey City, and was elected as a member of the New Jersey State Legislature.
On November 24 of 1781
James Caldwell, pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Elizabethtown and active revolutionary who fought in the Battle of Springfield and became known as the "Fighting Parson," is killed by an American sentry when he refused to have a package inspected. The sentry was hanged two months later in Westfield for murder.
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On November 25 of 1950 Along with most of the Northeast, what becomes known as the Great Thanksgiving Storm strikes New Jersey, with wind gusts of 108 miles per hour in Newark and extensive coastal flooding. |
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On November 26 of 1971 A riot breaks out at Rahway State Prison with the warden and some guards taken hostage. The prison is re-taken by police without any deaths. |
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On November 26 of 1910
A fire breaks out in a Newark factory building with predominantly young women workers, resulting in six girls burning to death and nineteen others killed leaping to the street from fourth-story windows. The building is later found to have inadequate fire escapes, exit passages and other safety precautions.
A fire breaks out in a Newark factory building with predominantly young women workers, resulting in six girls burning to death and nineteen others killed leaping to the street from fourth-story windows. The building is later found to have inadequate fire escapes, exit passages and other safety precautions.
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On November 27 of 1777
New Jersey Militia General Philemon Dickinson leads a force of 1,400 militiamen in a raid on Staten Island and captures 200 men of the Loyalist New Jersey Volunteers, most of them recently recruited in Bergen County. |
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On November 28 of 1976
Harry de la Roche, an 18-year-old freshman college student at The Citadel, shoots and kills his mother, his father, and his two younger brothers while he is at home in Montvale for the Thanksgiving holidays. After his conviction by a jury of murder, he is sentenced to four concurrent terms of life in prison.
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On November 29 of 1877
Thomas Edison gives the first public demonstration of his tin-foil phonograph, speaking into a tube and playing back: "Mary had a little lamb. Its fleece was white as snow. And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go!" The phonograph was developed at his laboratory in Menlo Park (current Edison Township) in Middlesex County. |
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On November 30 of 1723
William Livingston is born in Albany in the British Province of New York. After relocating to New Jersey, Livingston would serve as the first governor of the state of New Jersey, elected to 13 successive one-year terms by the legislature until dying in office in 1790. '
William Livingston is born in Albany in the British Province of New York. After relocating to New Jersey, Livingston would serve as the first governor of the state of New Jersey, elected to 13 successive one-year terms by the legislature until dying in office in 1790. '
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On November 30 of 1967
Captain Eleanor Grace Alexander, a US army nurse from River Vale stationed in Viet Nam, is killed in an aircraft crash near Qui Nhon while returning from a mission to Pleiku. She was the only New Jersey woman to die in the Vietnam War. |
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