Representative Elijah Cubberley Hutchinson

Elijah Cubberley Hutchinson (August 7, 1855 – June 25, 1932) was an American businessman and Republican Party politician who represented New Jersey’s 4th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives for four consecutive terms from 1915 to 1923. He was born on August 7, 1855, in the Windsor section of what was then Washington Township, New Jersey, now Robbinsville Township. Raised in central New Jersey, he attended the local public schools before pursuing further training at Rider’s Business College in Trenton, New Jersey, where he acquired the commercial and administrative skills that would underpin his later business and political career.

After completing his education, Hutchinson established himself as a merchant miller in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey. His milling enterprise became a notable local concern, and although the mill itself no longer exists, the surrounding neighborhood of Hamilton Township where it once operated came to be known as Hutchinson Mills, New Jersey, in recognition of his presence and influence there. In addition to his work as a miller, he was active in banking and engaged in the manufacture of fertilizer, diversifying his business interests and gaining prominence in the economic life of the region.

Hutchinson’s entry into public service began at the local level. He served as township clerk for three years, gaining firsthand experience in municipal administration and local governance. Building on this foundation, he was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly, where he served in 1895 and 1896. His performance in the lower house of the state legislature led to his election to the New Jersey Senate, in which he served from 1899 to 1904. During his tenure in the Senate, he rose to a position of leadership as president of that body in 1903, reflecting the confidence of his colleagues and his growing stature within the state Republican Party.

Following his legislative service in Trenton, Hutchinson continued his involvement in state affairs as New Jersey state road commissioner from 1905 to 1908. In that role he participated in the early development and oversight of the state’s road infrastructure at a time when improved transportation networks were becoming increasingly important to commerce, agriculture, and emerging automobile travel. His combined experience as a businessman, local official, and state legislator positioned him as a prominent Republican figure in New Jersey politics in the early twentieth century.

Hutchinson was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-fourth Congress and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving as a Representative from New Jersey in the United States Congress from March 4, 1915, to March 3, 1923. Representing New Jersey’s 4th congressional district, he participated in the legislative process during a significant period in American history that included World War I and the immediate postwar years. Over the course of his four terms in office, he contributed to the work of the House of Representatives and represented the interests of his constituents in central New Jersey. A member of the Republican Party throughout his congressional career, he was part of the broader national debates of the era on economic policy, infrastructure, and postwar adjustment. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1922 to the Sixty-eighth Congress, bringing his federal legislative service to a close in March 1923.

After leaving Congress, Hutchinson remained a respected figure in the Trenton and Hamilton Township area. He resided in Trenton, New Jersey, during his later years and continued to be associated with the Hutchinson Mills community that bore his name. He was also active in religious and community life as a founding member and elder of Christ Presbyterian Church, established in 1920 in the Hutchinson Mills section of Hamilton Township. The church building, dedicated in 1924, featured a prominent stained-glass window depicting the resurrection scene from the Gospel of Mark (Mark 16), dedicated in memory of his late wife. Several additional stained-glass windows in the church bear dedications by “Mrs. E. C. Hutchinson,” and one is in the name of Stanley Hutchinson in memory of his mother, reflecting the family’s close connection to the congregation and its worship space.

Elijah Cubberley Hutchinson died in Trenton, New Jersey, on June 25, 1932. He was interred in Greenwood Cemetery in Hamilton Township, Mercer County. His career as a businessman, local official, state legislator, and four-term member of the United States House of Representatives marked him as a significant Republican figure in New Jersey public life during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and his name endures in the Hutchinson Mills neighborhood and in the church he helped to found.