Representative George Clifford Maxwell

George Clifford Maxwell (March 16, 1768 – May 26, 1835) was a United States representative from New Jersey, a member of the Republican Party, and the father of future congressman John Patterson Bryan Maxwell. He was also the uncle of George M. Robeson, who later served as United States Secretary of the Navy and as a member of Congress. Maxwell’s life and career unfolded during the formative decades of the early American republic, and his single term in the House of Representatives placed him within the national legislative arena at a significant period in the nation’s political development.

Born on March 16, 1768, Maxwell came of age in the years immediately following the American Revolution, in an environment shaped by the new nation’s political and legal institutions. Although detailed records of his early childhood and family circumstances are limited, his later professional and political activities indicate that he was part of a family engaged in public affairs and legal practice, a background that helped position him for eventual service in Congress and contributed to the emergence of a political lineage that included both his son and his nephew.

Maxwell received a formal education appropriate to a young man preparing for the professions in the late eighteenth century. He pursued legal studies and was admitted to the bar, establishing himself in the practice of law. His legal training and experience provided the foundation for his public career, equipping him with familiarity in statutory interpretation, governance, and the workings of courts and local administration. As was common for lawyers of his generation, his professional standing in the community helped open the way to elective office and broader participation in public life.

By the early nineteenth century, Maxwell had become active in politics as a member of the Republican Party, the political organization often referred to by historians as the Democratic-Republican Party. This party, which coalesced around figures such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, advocated limited federal power and emphasized agrarian interests and states’ rights. Within this context, Maxwell emerged as a representative voice for New Jersey’s citizens, aligning himself with the dominant national political movement of his era and contributing to the articulation of Republican principles at the federal level.

Maxwell was elected as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey, serving one term in Congress. During this single term in office, he participated in the legislative process at a time when the young republic was consolidating its institutions, addressing questions of federal authority, economic policy, and national expansion. As a member of the House, he represented the interests of his New Jersey constituents, took part in debates, and cast votes on measures that shaped the trajectory of the early United States. His service placed him among the generation of lawmakers who translated the broad ideals of the Constitution into working national policy.

After completing his term in Congress, Maxwell returned to private life and to his legal and civic responsibilities in New Jersey. While he did not again serve in the national legislature, his influence persisted through his family and professional connections. His son, John Patterson Bryan Maxwell, followed him into public service and also became a member of Congress from New Jersey, extending the family’s role in national politics into the next generation. His nephew, George M. Robeson, would later serve as United States Secretary of the Navy and as a congressman, further underscoring the Maxwell family’s continuing engagement in federal public service.

George Clifford Maxwell died on May 26, 1835. His career reflected the path of many early American lawyers who moved between the bar and public office, contributing to the development of the nation’s political institutions during a formative period. Through his own congressional service and the subsequent careers of his son and nephew, Maxwell was part of a family tradition that helped shape New Jersey’s representation in the federal government across several decades of the nineteenth century.