Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-12-15
PERTH AMBOY in HISTORY
By FL. e.
GOVERNOR HUNTER

royal origin and that continued in
force until a little more than half
a century ago, when the n we now
hear called Anticipated was given us
from the same source.
AS an indication of the way Gov
ernor Hunter felt about his life in
America, the following paragraph is
quoted from a letter he wrote Dean
Swift in 1713:
IT thought in coming to this gov
eminent l should have hot meals
and cool drinks, and recreate my
body in Holland sheets upon beds of
down: whereas, I am doing PEN
nance~as if l was a hermit; and as I
cannot do that with a will, believe in
the long run the devil will fly away
with me-"
Then, speaking of Sancho Panza,
Don Quixote's hero, he adds: This
worthy was indeed but a type of me,
of which I could fully convince you,
by an exact parallel between our adj
ministrations and circumstances. -
= The truth of the matter is this:
| am used like a dog. after having
done all that Is in the power OF
man to deserve a better treatment,
so that 1 am now quite jaded."
A few days later in a letter to
Rector John Sharp, who preached
the funeral sermon for Lady Corn
bury, Hunter wrote:
Here is the finest air in the uni
verse to live upon; and If our trees
and birds could speak, and our as
semblymen be silent, the finest con-
Versation, too. # y For you must
understand, according to the GUS
toms of our country, the sachems
are the poorest of the people. In a
word, and to be serious, 1 have spent
three years of life in such torment
and vexations, that nothing in life
can ever make amends for it."
Governor Hunters house in Am
boy, as were all in the first years of
the embryo city's existance, was or
the knoll south of st. Peters church,
commanding a fine view of the har-
Dor and of the bay, with the ocean
beyond. Endeavor to secure a home
in that section of the city at the
present day and you will realize that
the same commanding view is still to
be had and those owning the proper
ty fully realize it's value as a profit
yielding asset. Whether the COVER
nor bought or built is not known,
but that he priced the place as a real
home is shown by the records which
preserve for us the fact that when
DESTROYS of recreation or relief from
the cares OF his official position, It'll
there that he retired. When an
epidemic of smallpox ragged in New
York in 1714 he came to Amboy and
81 NJ n innH hnrn until hn nnp1l pptI1rn |
to his New York residence.
Governor Hunter also owned
property in West Jersey, retaining
title to an island in the Delaware
near Burlington for a long
time after he had returned to Eng
land. His retirement from the gov
ernorship was prompted by Ill health
and was made at his own suggestion.
As public men sometimes do nova
days, he traded the post he did not
want for one that suited him better,
the other man to the bargain being
Burnet, a son of the famous
bishop of that name. Governor
Hunter took Burnet's place in the
customs service, retaining it for sew
eral years. In 1927 he again crossed
the Atlantic and for about a year he
was governor OF the island of ia
maica.
The island in the Delaware is not
the only reminder that Governor
Hunter retained an interest In the
Jerseys after quitting his official
position here. For instance, when
the governor left New Jersey to be-
come governor of Massachusetts,
Governor Hunter re~purchased the
Perth Amboy house in which he had
resided. In 1880 he negotiated for a
time for 500 acres of land at Inian's
Ferry, now New Brunswick. His
correspondence upon the subject
was with James Alexander, first re-
corder of Perth Amboy under the
charter that Governor Hunter got
for us, and with the father of Lord
Stirling, of Revolutionary fame. At
that time 1t was predicted that New
Brunswick had a great future, for,
within fifteen years, "a lot of ground
at New Brunswick is grown to near
as great a price, as so much ground
In the heart of New York"
Governor Hunter died in 1894,
leaving what was considered a large
fortune. Smith, the historian, said
of him that he had "a ready art at
procuring money and later on add
ed "few loved it more" Three years
before his death, Hunter wrote that
he was tired of public life and add
ed: II have lived for others, and to
some purpose hitherto; 1 would fain
live a little for myself before l die"
He truly had lived for the public
welfare. even II he did collect and
hold on to a goodly share of the coin
of the realm, and 1t Is to be regret
ted, despite the lapse of two CEN
turtles, that such a man could not
have lived longer for himself after a
useful life of many years for others.
to the patentee the right to make,
use, and sell, but merely the right
- a..al.,aa aLkan. Enana naal.inn