Commerce committees. He entered the Senate as a presumed moderate, and opposed allowing slavery to expand, but believed the Constitution permitted it where it existed. He also supported enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 even though he was personally opposed to it, on the grounds that he believed it was constitutional. Over time, his anti-slavery views became more pronounced. When the New Jersey State Legislature passed early 1861 resolutions in support of the Crittenden Compromise, Ten Eyck complied with the legislature's instructions to transmit them to the Senate, but made clear that he believed they were unconstitutional. Ten Eyck voted to end slavery in Washington, D.C., and voted in favor of the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States. When soldiers of the Confederate States Army invaded Pennsylvania in the summer of 1863, Ten Eyck advocated immediate creation of a Burlington County militia unit to take part in Pennsylvania's defense. He enlisted as a private in order to set an example for those in attendance, and they called the unit they created the "Ten Eyck Guards" in his honor. He marched to Pennsylvania with the company, and once the Confederates had retreated, he completed his term of service upon the return of the Ten Eyck Guards to Burlington County. Post-Senate career After leaving the Senate, Ten Eyck resumed practicing law. He was a delegate to the 1866 National Union Convention, which attempted unsuccessfully to promote post-Civil War reconciliation, including unity behind the Reconstruction policies of President Andrew Johnson. In 1873, he was appointed to the commission that revised the Constitution of New Jersey, and served as its president following the death his predecessor. The commission submitted its proposed changes to the state legislature, who presented to them voters for ratification. The changes were approved in an 1875 election, and went into effect soon afterwards. Death and burial Ten Eyck died at his home in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey on August 24, 1879. and was interred in Mount Holly's St. Andrew's Cemetery. Family On June 10, 1845, Ten Eyck married Julia Gadsby (1818-1890), the daughter of John Gadsby and Providence (Norris) Gadsby. They were the parents of six children—Augusta (1846-1876), Julia (1847-1941), Jane (1849-1918), May (1850-1951), Virginia, and John (1855-1935). References Sources Guide to the John C. Ten Eyck Papers at New Jersey Historical Society 19th-century American politicians 1814 births 1879 deaths American people of Dutch