William Brinkerhoff

William Brinkerhoff (July 19, 1843 – December 7, 1919) was an American attorney and Democratic Party politician who represented Hudson County, New Jersey in the New Jersey General Assembly and the New Jersey Senate from 1884 to 1887.

His nephew, James Fairman Fielder, was governor of New Jersey from 1914 to 1917.

Early life, military service, and education William Brinkerhoff was born on July 19, 1843, in Bergen City, New Jersey (today part of Jersey City) to John and Hannah Brinkerhoff. The Brinkerhoff family were prominent local citizens throughout the history of the area, and his father was a director of the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders and a judge of the Hudson County courts.

After attending local public schools, Brinkerhoff attended Rutgers College until the start of the American Civil War, when he dropped out to join the New Jersey volunteers in the VI Army Corps.

Legal career Following his admission to the bar, Brinkerhoff began practice in Jersey City. He served as counsel to the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders from 1868 to 1872 and held three separate terms as corporation counsel for Jersey City beginning in 1884.

In addition to his legal work, he was a director and charter member of the Commercial Trust Company of New Jersey and had offices in its building.

During his career in municipal politics, Brinkerhoff was a leading advocate for the consolidation of Hudson County into a single municipality to create a uniform system of taxation, roads, and drainage systems. He and Robert Gilchrist Jr. submitted a bill to the county freeholders in 1868 which proposed to consolidate every municipality except Harrison and Kearny, which lay west of the Hackensack River. It was approved on April 2, setting up a special election for consolidation in each municipality in October of that year. Jersey City, Bergen City, and Hudson City overwhelmingly approved of consolidation; Union City and the town of Union also approved the measure but were not permitted to consolidate, as they were separated from the other three by towns which had rejected it.

In 1869, Brinkerhoff was elected as a member of the Democratic Party to represent the 6th Hudson County district in the New Jersey General Assembly, defeating Republican freeholder William E. Benjamin of Hudson City. He served a single term representing the district, which consisted of Bergen City, Hudson City, Bayonne and Greenville Township.

His nephew, James Fairman Fielder, was governor of New Jersey from 1914 to 1917.

He was a trustee of the Holland Society of New York and a member of the Carteret Club and the Jersey City Club. He was also a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Brinkerhoff died of pneumonia on January 26, 1931, at his home in Jersey City.