John Condit was an American surgeon and politician. He served as a Member of the U. S. House of Representatives from New Jersey in 1819 and United States Senator from New Jersey from 1803 to 1817.
Background
Condit was born on July 08, 1755 in Orange, New Jersey, United States. He was descended from one John Condit, Condict, Conduit, or Cunditt, who left Wales and came, about 1678, to Newark, New Jersey, where later he bought land from the Lawrences on the Mill Brook Plain. His descendants were active in New Jersey politics, jail reform, medicine, and constitution-making. One of them, Samuel, married in 1754 Mary, daughter of Joseph Smith of Orange, New Jersey, and became the father of John Condit.
Education
John was educated in local schools. Then he studied medicine privately with Dr. Jonathan Dayton of Springfield.
Career
On June 29, 1776, the New Jersey Provincial Congress “Ordered That Dr. John Condit be Surgeon” in Van Cortlandt’s regiment of Heard’s Brigade. He soon resigned. Being of “sterling integrity and of amiable disposition, fearless, energetic and thorough in everything he undertook”, he attained “a large success as a physician”, though he did not join his fellow practitioners in the New Jersey Medical Society until 1830, when he was made an honorary member. He was also something of a sportsman, raised fine horses and “was perpetually on the road”. In 1785 he became a trustee the Orange Academy.
Condit entered politics after the Revolution, serving as assemblyman in the New Jersey legislature 1788-1789, as Council member 1790-1798, in the United States House of Representatives 1799-1803, in the United States Senate 1803-1817, and in the House again, 1819-1820. Few men have served twenty years in Congress so inconspicuously, the normal entry being, “Mr. John Condit of New Jersey appeared and took his seat. ” In the New Jersey legislature Condit served on road and boundary committees and had charge (1791 - 1795) of counting and burning cancelled loan-office certificates and old State money in the treasury. His twenty-four line report on November 2, 1795 on “the prerogative and secretary’s office” shows the quality of the man and the quiet methods of work which inspired such long confidence.
A typical eighteenth-century legislator he outlived his age. Public service having broken up his practise, he was appointed assistant collector of the port of New York, in Jersey City, but was removed from office in 1830 because of his criticism of President Jackson’s financial policies. Long a skeptic, he “cordially embraced the truths of the Gospel” as paralysis ended his days in peace.
Achievements
Politics
Condit's politics were consistently anti-Federalist and Republican (Democratic), favoring strict administration and less government but opposed to popular excitement or mob rule in affairs of state. Nevertheless, in opposition to the stand of his party, in 1811 he favored the re-charter of the United States Bank.
Connections
Condit married Abigail, daughter of Joseph Halsey, by whom he had four sons and one daughter. She died in 1784 and in 1785 he wed her sister Rhoda, by whom he had two sons and one daughter.