John Conover Ten Eyck (March 12, 1814August 24, 1879) was a United States Senator from New Jersey from 1859 to 1865, during the American Civil War. He was a member of the Republican Party. Early life John Ten Eyck was born in Freehold Township, New Jersey, and was the son of William Ten Eyck (1783-1837) and Leah (Conover) Ten Eyck (1787-1832). The Dutch American Ten Eyck family (pronounced "Ten Ike") was long prominent in law, business and politics, particularly in New York and New Jersey. John C. Ten Eyck completed preparatory studies under private tutors, studied law with Joseph Fitz Randolph, and was admitted to the bar in 1835. Ten Eyck established a successful law practice in Burlington, New Jersey, first in partnership with Garret D. Wall, and later as the sole member of his own firm. Originally a Whig, he was prosecuting attorney of Burlington County from 1839 to 1849, and was a delegate to the New Jersey constitutional convention of 1844. Ten Eyck joined the Republican Party at its founding in the 1850s, and was a supporter of John C. Frémont in the 1856 presidential election. U.S. Senator Ten Eyck served in the U.S. Senate from March 4, 1859 to March 3, 1865, after winning election in a joint session of the New Jersey State Legislature which met in January 1859. The anti-slavery Opposition Party, which consisted of members of the new Republican Party, traditional Whigs, members of the Free Soil Party, and members of the American Party vied with Democrats for control of the legislature and selection of a U.S. senator. With none of the Opposition groups strong enough to elect a candidate on their own, but determined to prevent the re-election of William Wright or the election of another Democrat, the Opposition eventually decided to agree on a compromise candidate who had no strong ties to any faction. They selected Ten Eyck, who was not an active candidate, but was known to have been a Whig, and more recently a Republican, yet not politically prominent in recent years or strongly committed to any Opposition faction. Members of the American Party were especially unhappy at being unable to elect John F. Randolph or another American candidate, but accepted Ten Eyck to ensure that a Democrat would not win the seat. During his Senate career, which spanned the American Civil War, Ten Eyck served on the Judiciary and