William Norton Shinn

William Norton Shinn (October 24, 1782, Burlington County, New Jersey – August 18, 1871, Mount Holly Township, New Jersey) was a United States Representative from New Jersey and a prominent state and local officeholder in the early nineteenth century. Born in Burlington County, he spent his life in that region and was closely identified with its agricultural and political development. He engaged in farming as his principal occupation, establishing himself as a farmer before entering public service.

Shinn’s early public career was rooted in county and state affairs. He served as Sheriff of Burlington County, New Jersey, from 1825 to 1828, a position that placed him at the center of local law enforcement and administration during a period of growth and change in the county. His involvement in public life extended to the state legislature, where he became a member of the New Jersey Legislative Council, the upper house of the state legislature, in 1818. He later returned to that body and served again from 1829 to 1832, participating in deliberations on state policy and governance.

In addition to his service in the Legislative Council, Shinn was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1828, further broadening his legislative experience. By the early 1830s he had also assumed a leadership role within his party, serving as chairman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee in 1832. In this capacity he helped organize and direct the activities of Jacksonian Democrats in the state at a time when party structures and mass political participation were becoming more firmly established in American politics.

Shinn advanced to national office when he was elected as a member of the Jackson Party, or Jacksonian, to the United States House of Representatives. He represented New Jersey in the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Congresses, serving from March 4, 1833, to March 3, 1837. His two terms in Congress coincided with a significant period in American history marked by the presidency of Andrew Jackson and debates over banking, internal improvements, and federal–state relations. As a Jacksonian representative, William Norton Shinn contributed to the legislative process during his two terms in office, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his New Jersey constituents in the national legislature.

After retiring from Congress in 1837, Shinn returned to Burlington County and resumed his agricultural pursuits. He remained active in civic and economic affairs, reflecting his continued commitment to local development. In 1853 and 1854 he served as president of the Burlington Agricultural Association, a role that underscored his standing in the farming community and his interest in promoting agricultural improvement and organization within the region. His post-congressional activities also extended into the emerging transportation sector; he was elected a director of the Camden & Amboy Railroad, one of the earliest and most important railroads in New Jersey, which played a key role in linking Philadelphia and New York and fostering regional commerce.

William Norton Shinn spent his later years in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey, where he remained a respected figure in the community he had long served. He died in Mount Holly on August 18, 1871. He was buried in Mount Holly Cemetery, in the county where he had been born, lived, and carried out the greater part of his public and private endeavors.