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EDWARD DUDLEY
was born in 1849 to Thomas H. Dudley and his wife, the former Emeline
Matlack. His father was one of Camden's leading citizens and played a
vital role in national politics and as a diplomat both during and after
the Civil War. He served as Camden County Clerk, and authored Camden's
first city charter. The "Dudley Charter" would serve Camden until 1871. An
early member of the Republican party, he was a delegate to the Republican national
convention in Chicago in 1860, and was instrumental in securing the
presidential nomination for Abraham Lincoln. He was the American
consul in Liverpool from 1861 to 1872, during which time he settled the
Alabama Claims.
Thomas
Dudley owned a large estate along Federal Street in what is now East
Camden, centered by his mansion and known as Dudley Grange.
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Edward Dudley followed his father into the practice of law,
beginning in 1874. He was was quite successful professionally.
Personally his life did not go well. He married Mary Shaw, who
appears to have died in childbirth in April of 1879 while giving
birth to a son, also Edward Lawrence Dudley. On November 15,
1881 he married May T. Brooks of Boston, Massachusetts in
Boston. This marriage produced a daughter, May Irene Dudley.
Sadly, this marriage also ended, most likely again to the death
of the then Mrs. Dudley. Professionally he was well respected
and was promoted as a legislative candidate in the 1890s but
decided that he was not interested in running for office.
In
1898 Edward Dudley married Mary Mulock in Naples, Italy. A
socialite from Philadelphia, she was 25 years his junior and
appears to have married entirely for money. By 1905 Edward
Dudley had enough, and divorce proceedings were instituted. Mrs.
Dudley counter-sued and the Dudleys were in and out of the
courts and the newspapers even after Edward Dudley's passing.
The notoriety and the time spent defending himself from
frivolous legal action too up much of his time and in is own
wordsm destroyed his legal practice. Edward Dudley died at The
Grange on September 13, 1920.
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