Background
Schenck was born in New Brunswick on October 12, 1821 to Henry Harris Schenck and Eva Voorhees.
Schenck was born in New Brunswick on October 12, 1821 to Henry Harris Schenck and Eva Voorhees.
He was educated in New Brunswick public schools and studied law with Henry V. Speer.
He was admitted to the New Jersey bar as an attorney in 1843 and as a counsellor in 1847. In 1851 he was elected Mayor of New Brunswick. Schenck married Emily Wines Barker on February 12, 1863, and they had two children: Emily Barker Schenck and Warren Redcliffe Schenck.
In 1872 Governor Joel Parker appointed Schenck as Prosecutor of the Pleas for Middlesex County.
He served in the position until 1877. Schenck was elected to the New Jersey Senate in 1882, serving for three years.
In 1885 he was selected as Senate President over John West. Griggs. He was not renominated at the end of his term and returned to his legal practice in New Brunswick.
In 1902 Schenck died at Redcliffe, his residence in Highland Park.