Representative Peter Hood Ballantine Frelinghuysen

Peter Hood Ballantine Frelinghuysen Jr. (January 17, 1916 – May 23, 2011) was an American politician and attorney who represented New Jersey’s fifth congressional district in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican from 1953 to 1975. Over eleven consecutive terms, he contributed to the legislative process during a significant period in American history, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his New Jersey constituents.

Frelinghuysen was born on January 17, 1916, in New York City to Peter H. B. Frelinghuysen, a banker, and the former Adaline Havemeyer. He was part of a prominent New Jersey political family whose roots traced back to 18th-century Dutch settlers in Somerset County. His siblings included his twin brother, Henry O. H. Frelinghuysen, a philanthropist and civic leader, as well as George G. Frelinghuysen and Frederica Frelinghuysen Emert. He came from a long line of New Jersey politicians dating to the early years of the United States, including four United States senators and two House members. He was the grandson of George Griswold Frelinghuysen, great-grandson of Frederick T. Frelinghuysen, great-great-nephew of Theodore Frelinghuysen, and great-great-great-grandson of Frederick Frelinghuysen. Through his mother’s side, he was also a great-great-grandson of Peter Ballantine, founder of the Ballantine Brewery.

Frelinghuysen received his early education at St. Mark’s School in Southborough, Massachusetts. He went on to attend Princeton University, from which he graduated in 1938, and then Yale Law School, earning his law degree in 1941. After completing his legal education, he practiced law in New York City. With the onset of World War II, he entered military-related government service, joining the Office of Naval Intelligence in September 1942. He served there until December 1945, attaining the rank of lieutenant. Following his wartime service, he pursued further study at Columbia University from 1946 to 1947 and subsequently worked on the staff of the Foreign Affairs Task Force of the Hoover Commission in 1948, contributing to postwar governmental reorganization efforts before returning to the private sector. He also served as a director of the Howard Savings Bank in Livingston, New Jersey.

In 1952, Frelinghuysen was elected to the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey’s 5th congressional district, taking office in January 1953. He served continuously until his retirement from politics in 1975, completing eleven terms in Congress. A moderate Republican, he aligned himself with the party’s more centrist wing during the mid-20th century. He voted in favor of major civil rights legislation, including the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, 1964, and 1968, as well as the 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolished the poll tax in federal elections, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He supported Medicare, helping to expand medical assistance for the elderly, but did not support many of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty programs. His legislative record reflected a blend of social moderation and fiscal caution that characterized many northeastern Republicans of his era.

Frelinghuysen’s congressional career also intersected with significant environmental and regional planning issues. In December 1959, when plans by the Port of New York Authority to develop a large tract of woodlands and marsh near his estate in Morris County as an international airport serving the New York City region became public, he joined local opposition to the project. Working with the Jersey Jetport Site Association, a coalition of residents and conservationists, he helped raise funds to purchase nearly 3,000 acres of the proposed site and donate it to the federal government for permanent preservation as parkland. This effort contributed directly to the creation of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, established by federal statute on November 3, 1960, in the midst of the development controversy. Within the House Republican leadership, he was recognized for his abilities; in January 1965, House Minority Leader Gerald Ford selected him as his preferred candidate for Minority Whip. However, in a secret ballot of the Republican caucus, he lost the contest to the incumbent whip, Les Arends, by a vote of 70 to 59.

Frelinghuysen’s long tenure was not without personal controversy. In 1966, he was targeted by extortionists who arranged for him to have a sexual encounter with an underage male and then, posing as police officers, threatened him with public exposure. He paid them $50,000 but later cooperated with an FBI investigation that ultimately exposed the extortion ring. The matter was reported to the leadership of the House of Representatives by the Department of Justice, and as a consequence he was forced to step down from his position on the House Armed Services Committee. Despite this setback, he continued to serve in Congress until his retirement at the end of his eleventh term in 1975.

After leaving Congress, Frelinghuysen remained active in civic and cultural affairs. He served on the boards of several nonprofit institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York Botanical Garden, reflecting his long-standing interest in the arts, conservation, and public service beyond elective office. His post-congressional activities helped maintain his family’s tradition of engagement in public and philanthropic life.

On September 7, 1940, Frelinghuysen married Beatrice Sterling Procter in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. She was a descendant of a founder of Procter & Gamble. The couple had children, including Peter Frelinghuysen II, who became a lawyer, and Rodney P. Frelinghuysen, who later served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey, extending the family’s congressional legacy into another generation. The family resided in a 20-room Georgian Colonial home on 32 acres in Harding Township, New Jersey, designed in 1948 by architect James W. O’Connor. Beatrice Frelinghuysen died in 1996. Peter Hood Ballantine Frelinghuysen Jr. died at his home in Harding Township, New Jersey, on May 23, 2011.