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Sussex County in northwestern New Jersey has had a place in over three centuries of modern history, beginning with the age of European settlement and exploration during the American colonial period. The county and its people have been involved in all aspects of the American experience. As a large area of New Jersey that was included in Sussex County from its founding to 1753 were ceded to create Warren County in 1824, all persons residing in those areas are not listed here.

The following is a list of notable people from Sussex County, New Jersey:

Public service

Politicians and civil service

• Samuel Fowler (1779-1844), doctor, discoverer of several minerals, iron and zinc mine owner in (Franklin and Ogdensburg), U.S. House of Representatives (1833-1837).
• Samuel Fowler (1851-1919), U.S. House of Representatives (1889-1893).
• Scott Garrett (born 1959), legislator, New Jersey General Assembly, U.S. House of Representatives (2003–2017).
• John W. Griggs (1849-1927), Governor of New Jersey.
• Daniel Haines (1801-1877), Governor of New Jersey.
• Ardolph L. Kline (1858-1930), Congressman and Mayor of New York City.
• John Linn (1763–1821), U.S. House of Representatives.
• Robert Littell (1936-2014), New Jersey State Senator.
• Lewis J. Martin (1844-1913) - Sussex County clerk, legislator, U.S. House of Representatives (1913).
• Alison Littell McHose (born 1965), Member of the New Jersey General Assembly.
• Parker Space (born 1968) Member of the New Jersey General Assembly. (2013-Present)
• Nathaniel Pettit (1724-1803), Canadian politician.
• Rodman M. Price (1816-1894), Governor of New Jersey.
• Andrew J. Rogers (1828–1900), attorney, U.S. House of Representatives (1863-1867), Denver police commissioner.
• John Rutherfurd (1760-1840), United States Senator (1791–1799).
• Casper Shafer (1712-1784), first settler of Stillwater, legislator (1776-1779).
• A. A. Townsend (1811-1879), founder Rough and Ready, California; member of the Wisconsin State Legislature

Military service

• Thomas Oakley Anderson (1793-1844), United States Navy officer during the First Barbary War (1803–1805).
• Edwin F. Cooke (1835-1867), American Civil War military officer (Brigadier General)
• Aaron Hankinson (1735-1806) American Revolution military officer (Brigadier General), state legislator
• Hugh Judson Kilpatrick (1836-1881) Civil War general, diplomat.
• John Cleves Symmes (1742-1814), Revolutionary War military officer, politician, and settler of Ohio.

Arts and entertainment

Visual arts

• Gretna Campbell (1922–1987), painter (New York School).
• Louis Finkelstein (1923–2000), painter (New York School), art critic, art professor.
• Reuben Kadish (1913–1992), painter, sculptor and printmaker.

Writing

• Helena Rutherfurd Ely (1858–1920), author, garden writer.
• Nicolas de Gunzburg (1904-1981), fashion critic, magazine editor (Vogue, Harpers), actor.
• Aline Murray Kilmer (1888–1941), author, poet, wife of poet and critic Joyce Kilmer.
• J. Allyn Rosser (born 1957), poet and academic.

Musicians

• Rob Freeman (born 1981), musician, who performed with Hidden in Plain View.
• Homer Mensch (1914-2005), classical double bassist who performed with the New York Philharmonic.
• Railroad Earth — musicians

Acting

• William Pierson — actor.
• Janeane Garofalo — comedian, actress, activist.

Television personalities

• Lou Dobbs — television and radio news commentator (CNN and Fox News).
• John Gibson — television news host on FoxNews.
• Andrew Napolitano — current libertarian Fox News Judicial Analyst, former judge (Superior Court of New Jersey).

Science, technology and medicine

• Charles Joseph Fletcher (1922–2011) — inventor of the Hovercraft, worked on Apollo Lunar Module and X-15 rocket.
• Hudson Maxim (1853–1927) — inventor, chemist, scientist, munitions manufacturer.
• Ross Winans (1796–1877) — inventor, entrepreneur.

Business

• Newman E. Drake (1860–1930) — entrepreneur, founder of Drake's Cakes.

Athletes and sports figures

• Nick Boyle (born 1993), NFL - Baltimore Ravens TE
• Lou Benfatti (born 1971), NFL and college football player.
• Mike Budnik — former professional inline skater, and professional mixed martial arts fighter
• Chris Jent — NBA Player and Coach.
• Danny Kass — Olympic and champion snowboarder
• Dan Miller — UFC Contender, CFFC Middleweight Champion, IFL Middleweight Champion
• Jim Miller — UFC Contender, CFFC Lightweight Champion, Reality Fighting Featherweight Champion
• Troy Murphy — NBA and college basketball player.
• Adam Riggs — Major League Baseball player
• Russ Van Atta — Major League Baseball player (New York Yankees), county sheriff (1941-1944).
• Dave Yovanovits (born 1981), former NFL football player.
• David Zabriskie (born 1986), retired amateur wrestler and current wrestling coach.

Miscellaneous

• Ira Condict (d. 1811) — Presbyterian and Dutch Reformed clergyman, third president of Queen's College (now Rutgers University).
• Zip the Pinhead — circus sideshow personality with P.T. Barnum.

See also

• History of Sussex County, New Jersey

References

1. Samuel Fowler, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed March 12, 2013. "...commenced practice in Hamburg, N.J., in 1800; moved to Franklin, N.J.; member of the State council in 1827"
2. Samuel Fowler, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed March 12, 2013.
3. Rep. Scott Garrett (R), National Journal Almanac. Accessed March 12, 2013. "The congressman from the 5th District is Scott Garrett, a Republican elected in 2002. Garrett grew up on a farm in Wantage, where his parents grew tomatoes and Christmas trees."
4. New Jersey Governor John William Griggs, National Governors Association. Accessed March 12, 2013. "John W. Griggs, the thirty-sixth governor of New Jersey, was born in Newton, New Jersey on July 10, 1849."
5. New Jersey Governor Daniel Haines, National Governors Association. Accessed March 12, 2013.
6. Ardolph Loges Kline, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed March 12, 2013. "Representative from New York; born near Newton, Sussex County, N.J., February 21, 1858"
7. John Linn, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed March 12, 2013. "moved with his father to Sussex County, N.J."
8. Robert E. Littell's Biography, Project Vote Smart. Accessed March 12, 2013.
9. Lewis J. Martin, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed March 12, 2013. "born near Deckertown, Sussex County, N.J., on February 22, 1844"
10. Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose, New Jersey's 24th Legislative District. Accessed March 12, 2013. "Assemblywoman McHose and her husband Morgan were married in 1993. They reside in Franklin with their three children Logan, Grant and Molly."
11. Nathaniel Pettit, Historical Narratives of Upper Canada. Accessed March 12, 2013. "Nathaniel Pettit was born in Sussex County, New Jersey, in 1724."
12. Rodman McCamley Price, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed March 12, 2013. "born in Newton, Sussex County, N.J., May 5, 1816"
13. Andrew Jackson Rogers, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed March 12, 2013. "born in Hamburg, Sussex County, N.J., July 1, 1828"
14. Snell, James P. (compiled). History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Pioneers. (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1881), 32, 380. Accessed March 12, 2013.
15. Schaeffer, Casper and Johnson, William M. Memoirs and reminiscences : together with sketches of the early history of Sussex County, New Jersey. (Hackensack, N.J. : Privately printed, 1907), passim.
16. State Historical Society of Wisconsin (1904). Annual Report and Collections of the State Historical Society, of Wisconsin, for the Year ... (Public domain ed.). The Society. pp. 61–.
17. Lee, Bazley Francis. Genealogical and Memorial History of the State of New Jersey, p. 1234, Lewis historical Publishing Company, 1910. Accessed March 12, 2013. "Thomas Oakley Anderson, son of Thomas and Letitia Anderson was born in Newton, Sussex county, New Jersey, in 1793 [sic], and died there in 1844."
18. Staff. "Funeral of the Late Gen. Edwin F. Cooke", The New York Times, September 18, 1870. Accessed March 12, 2013. "The Remains of Gen. EDWIN F. COOKE, late Secretary of Legation of the United States to Chill, brought to this country by Major-Gen. KILPATRICK, will be taken to his late home in sussex country, N. J., where the funeral will take place on Friday next."
19. Schaeffer, Casper and Johnson, William M. Memoirs and reminiscences : together with sketches of the early history of Sussex County, New Jersey. (Hackensack, N.J. : Privately printed, 1907), passim.
20. Hugh J. Kilpatrick, Ohio State University eHistory archive. Accessed March 14, 2013. "Born: 14 Jan 1836 at Deckertown, New Jersey, US"
21. Gretna Campbell: Biography, gretnacampbell.com. Accessed March 14, 2013. "1978-1979: Acquires house in Stillwater, NJ, where she paints winters and springs through 1986."
22. Staff. "Louis Finkelstein—Paintings 1971-1999" Archived 2014-07-24 at the Wayback Machine, Haverford College press release dated February 25, 2000. Accessed March 14, 2013. "A New York native currently living in Stillwater, New Jersey, Finkelstein studied painting at Cooper Union, The Art Students' League and Brooklyn Museum Art School."
23. Smith, Roberta. "Reuben Kadish, 79, a Sculptor Of Works Evoking the Ancient", The New York Times, September 22, 1992. Accessed March 14, 2013. "Reuben Kadish, an American sculptor whose rough-hewn figures and monumental heads often evoked the art of ancient civilizations, died on Sunday at New York Hospital in Manhattan. He was 79 years old and had homes in Manhattan and Vernon, N.J."
24. Dupont, Ronald J., Jr. Images of America: Vernon Township, p. 94. (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2002), ISBN 0738511102. Accessed March 14, 2013.
25. Dupont, Ronald J., Jr. "Meadowburn Farm: A Flower of American Gardening History," in The North Jersey Highlander Vol. 30 No. 84 (1994), pp. 23–33.
26. Dupont, Ronald J, Jr. (1991). "Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg". The Vernon Stories of Jacobus Van Brug. Accessed March 12, 2013.
27. Talbot, Francis X. "A Tribute to Aline Kilmer" in America. (October 18, 1941), 46.
28. "KILMER CHILDREN GET $25,602 EACH; Soldier-Poet's Heirs Share in Estate Left by Their Grandfather in Jersey", The New York Times, January 31, 1937. Accessed January 20, 2013. "At Stillwater, N. J., today Mrs. Aline Kilmer, widow of the poet, said that her son, Kenton, in addition to his duties with the FHA, has been writing verse."
29. J. Allyn Rosser, Poets & Writers. Accessed March 14, 2013. "Born in: Bethlehem, PA. Raised in: Sparta, NJ"
30. Bove, Stephen. "Coming in for a Landing", Asbury Park Press, March 30, 2007. Accessed March 14, 2013. "Made up of Andover-born singer/songwriter Rob Freeman (guitarist and singer for Hidden in Plain View) on vocals, guitars, piano and drums..."
31. Staff. "NEWMAN E. DRAKE DIES AFTER OPERATION; Founder of Bakery Concern Bearing Family Name--Spent Youth on Farm.", The New York Times, March 20, 1930. Accessed March 12, 2013. "Funeral services will be held at 3:15 P. M. on Saturday at his late home, 27 Inwood Avenuem Newton, N. J."
32. "Vernon-grown Danny Kass is living the good life", West Milford Messenger, September 29, 2011. Accessed February 15, 2024. "Danny Kass had his epiphany at the age of 17, although it’s doubtful he used that word to describe the moment when he beheld his future and saw that it was totally cool. ... He grew up in the Scenic Lakes section of Vernon. Because he had a Hamburg mailing address, that borough claimed him on signs at the town border, but, he says, he’s only lived in Vernon."
33. Hofmann, Joe. FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+03%2C+2003&author=&pub=Daily+Record&desc=Former+Hopatcong+star+Yovanovits+used+skill%2C+work+ethic+to+b&pqatl=google "Former Hopatcong star Yovanovits used skill, work ethic to become an NFL draft pick"], Daily Record (Morristown), May 3, 2003. Accessed March 12, 2013.
34. Kuty, Brendan. "Branchville’s Zabriskie shoots for heavyweight championship", New Jersey Herald, January 24, 2010. Accessed April 15, 2021. "David Zabriskie has been a Division I All-American. Twice, actually. But the Iowa State senior and High Point graduate isn’t satisfied. He wants a heavyweight national championship. 'I feel pretty good about this year,' Zabriskie said. The Branchville native should."
35. Schaeffer, Casper (M.D.) and Johnson, William M. (1907) Memoirs and Reminiscences: Together with Sketches of the Early History of Sussex County, New Jersey. Hackensack, New Jersey: privately printed : 42-43.
36. Frusciano, Thomas J. Rutgers Leaders, Rutgers History - Ira Condict: Queen’s College President Pro Tem, 1795 to 1810", originally published as "Leadership on the Banks: Rutgers' Presidents, 1766-1991" Archived 2013-04-09 at archive.today in The Journal of the Rutgers University Libraries 53:1 (1991). New Brunswick, New Jersey: Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries.

• People from Sussex County, New Jersey