Representative Thomas McEwan

Thomas McEwan Jr. (February 26, 1854 – September 11, 1926) was an American Republican Party politician and attorney who represented New Jersey’s 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1895 to 1899. He served two terms in Congress during a significant period in American history, participating in the legislative process and representing the interests of his New Jersey constituents as a member of the Republican Party.

McEwan was born in Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey, on February 26, 1854. He was educated in the public schools of Paterson, where he received his early schooling. After completing his basic education, he became a civil engineer, an early professional training that preceded his later legal and political career.

Pursuing a career in law, McEwan attended the law department of Columbia Law School in New York City. He was admitted to the bar around 1885 and commenced the practice of law in both New York City and Jersey City, New Jersey. Alongside his legal work, he developed a strong involvement in local public affairs. He served as assessor of the fourth district of Jersey City in 1886 and 1887, and as tax assessor of Jersey City in 1887 and 1888, positions that reflected his growing expertise in municipal finance and administration. Beginning in 1886, he also became secretary to Dr. Morgan Dix, the rector of Trinity Church in New York City, a post he held for two decades, from 1886 to 1906.

McEwan’s political activity within the Republican Party was extensive and sustained. He was a delegate to and secretary of every Republican convention of New Jersey and of Hudson County from 1877 to 1896, and he served as secretary of the Hudson County Republican general committee from 1878 to 1893. On the federal level, he was appointed United States commissioner and chief supervisor of elections for the district of New Jersey, serving from August 1892 to October 1893, a role that placed him at the center of overseeing federal election procedures in the state. He was also chosen as a delegate to the Republican National Conventions of 1892 and 1896, further underscoring his prominence within party ranks. In state government, McEwan was elected a member of the New Jersey General Assembly in 1893 and 1894, and in the latter year he served as Republican leader of the Assembly.

Building on this record of party and legislative service, McEwan was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-fourth and Fifty-fifth Congresses. He represented New Jersey’s 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1895, to March 3, 1899. During his two terms in office, he contributed to the legislative process at a time of economic and political transition in the United States, participating in debates and votes that affected both his district and the nation. He chose not to be a candidate for renomination in 1898, thus concluding his congressional service after four years.

After leaving Congress, McEwan resumed the practice of law and broadened his business interests. He became engaged in banking in West Hoboken, New Jersey, beginning in 1904, an endeavor he continued until July 1, 1924, when he retired from active business. He also returned to municipal service, holding the office of controller of Jersey City in 1906 and 1907, a position that drew upon his earlier experience as an assessor and his long familiarity with local government finance.

Thomas McEwan Jr. died in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, on September 11, 1926. He was interred in Flower Hill Cemetery in North Bergen, New Jersey. His career encompassed engineering, law, municipal administration, banking, and a broad range of political responsibilities at the local, state, and national levels, including two terms in the United States Congress as a Republican representative from New Jersey.