Joseph Dorsett Bedle, Sr. (January 5, 1831 – October 21, 1894) was an American attorney, jurist, and Democratic Party politician who served as the 23rd governor of New Jersey from 1875 to 1878. Early life Joseph Dorsett Bedle was born in Middletown Point, New Jersey on January 5, 1831 to Thomas and Hannah (née Dorsett) Bedle. His father was a merchant, justice of the peace, and judge of the Monmouth County Court of Common Pleas. Through his mother, Joseph Bedle was related to Garret D. Wall, a former U.S. Senator. Bedle was educated at a local academy but did not attend college due to his delicate health, instead working in a general store. He had a strong desire to study law, and studied in the law offices of William L. Dayton in Trenton for roughly three years before attending State and National Law School in Ballston Spa, New York for a winter and spending another winter in the Poughkeepsie, New York offices of Thompson and Weeks. Bedle was admitted to the bar in New York on his twenty-first birthday, January 5, 1852. He was admitted to the New Jersey bar in 1853 after further study under Matawan lawyer Henry S. Little. For the next two years, he practiced law in Middletown Point before moving to Freehold in 1856. New Jersey Supreme Court In 1865, Bedle was appointed by Governor Joel Parker to the State Supreme Court (an intermediary court subordinate to the appellate New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals) on the Hudson-Passaic-Bergen circuit. At only 34 years old, he was the second-youngest justice in the court's history. Soon after his appointment, he relocated to Jersey City, where he lived next door to future two-term Governor Leon Abbett. In 1871, Bedle was mentioned as the favorite candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor, but Abbett persuaded Governor Parker to run for a second non-consecutive term. After Parker's victory, Bedle was appointed to a second term on the bench. While serving on the court, Bedle was a delegate to 1864 Democratic National Convention. Governor of New Jersey 1874 campaign In 1874, Bedle was the unanimous choice of the Democratic Party convention for Governor. He faced Republican former U.S. Representative George A. Halsey of Newark. A major issue in the campaign was the government of Jersey City. Halsey campaigned to reform the system of state legislative commissions that governed city affairs. As