Charles Smith Olden

Charles Smith Olden (February 19, 1799 – April 7, 1876) was an American merchant, banker, and politician who served as the 19th governor of New Jersey from 1860 to 1863 during the first part of the American Civil War. As Governor, Olden supported President Abraham Lincoln and the national war effort but favored union and reconciliation with the South above all else; before the war, he argued slavery was properly understood as the sole regulatory province of the states, and he later opposed Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.

His mansion, Drumthwacket, was bought by the state in 1966 and became the official residence of the governor of New Jersey in 1981.

Early life Olden was born in 1799 near Princeton, New Jersey, to Hart Olden and Temperance Smith. His family were Quakers. He attended the Lawrenceville School.

Upon his graduation from Lawrenceville, Olden worked in his father's store for some time before joining the mercantile firm of Matthew Newkirk.

Olden constructed Drumthwacket, which today serves as the official residence of the Governor of New Jersey. After his uncle died and bequeathed Olden a large estate, he returned to Princeton, where he constructed Drumthwacket as his personal residence. He lived there as a gentleman farmer and joined the board of directors of the Trenton Banking Company in 1842. He was buried at the Stony Brook Meeting House and Cemetery.