A. Van Doren Honeyman Recalls Campaign For Mayoralty of Borough Back in 1893. Lawyer, Publisher, Editor and Conductor of Travel Tours Is Now 86 Years Of Age. Lost Election by Only 73 Votes, He Recalls, to W. L. Saunders 'Had No Business to Run' The keenest memories of A. Van Doren Honeyman, lawyer, publisher, editor, and conductor of travel tours, as he looks back over an active career of 86 years, are of the campaign for the mayoralty of North Plainfield, for which he ran in 1393, the main issue being the joining of the borough with Plain-Held as one municipality. Though only in North Plainfield a year at the time, he was defeated by at margin of only 73 votes, running on the Republican ticket against William L. Saunders, Democrat, who was re-elected after serving one term. "They had been having quite a commotion over joining North Plainfield with Plainfield, and I was nominated," said Mr. Honey man. sitting in his office at 181 North Avenue, where he still carries on his business of publishing law books and running tours. "I had no business to run, for I had only been there a short time, he said. As a matter of fact he came to North Plainfield in April, 1392. and all told lived in the borough 16 years, before he moved over to Plainfield in 1908 to be nearer hi business. On Board of Education. In liter years Mr. Honeyman served as a member of the North Plainfield Board of Education for four years, being president of the board in 1901, continuing his interest in borough affairs despite his early setback in the campaign for mayor. Saunders defeated me and I'm glad ha did. We were good friends and it would have been a lot of trouble." says the old time North Plainfield resident as he sat in his office when interviewed by a Courier-News reporter. His slate-blue eyes twinkled through tortoise shell spectacles, as ha reviewed those early days. Years have mellowed A. Van Doren Honeyman. and possibly it does not seem to matter so much now. Clad in a gray business suit, his large frame gave evidence of the driving power which animated him in his more busy years. Gray tie, gray hair, and a gray mustache at 86 he is in the more somber years of life, but still active. He told of the fight on amalgamation, how "Newt" Smalley, once Mayor of North Plainfield, now dead, was in favor of the borough combining with Plainfield, and how Charles A. Reed, the lawyer, aided Smalley. With Mr. Honeyman was George F. Edwards, who was elected councilman in 1893 at the same time Honeyman lost. Split Their Tickets. The total vote in that election was 777 votes, called by the Plain-field "Courier of March 15, 1893 "a very light vote." There were 385 Republican votes cast and only 362 Democratic votes, indicating that some Republicans split their tickets and voted for Saunders, the Democrat. The "Courier" commented as follows, "Editor Honeyman's campaign was a clean and energetic one. Though a resident of the county for a generation he was defeated by the votes of Republicans who persisted in looking upon him as a stranger." It must be explained that in 1875. Mr. Honeyman had taken up residence at Somerville, county seat of Somerset County, in which North Plainfield is located, and had lived in Somerville for 17 years, editing the Unionist-Gazette, now the Messenger-Gazette. He moved from thereto North Plainfield. The "Courier" blasted the "weak- kneed Republicans" who had knifed "Editor Honeyman" with the statement that "Three score borough Republicans voted against Mr. Honeyman simply because they did not know him personally." The Plainfield "Courier," one of the papers which preceded the "Courier-News" of today, was a Republican organ. Says the Plainfield Daily Press," another forerunner of today's paper, commenting on the election, "Republicans of North Plainfield are in a greatly demoralized state in their former stronghold." Needless to state, the "Press" was Democratic. The Democrats of the borough elected a councilman in 1893 as well as the mayor, Saunders, choosing Joseph H. Howell as councilman. and gaining control, with three Democrats and three Republicans in the Council; with the mayor, a Democrat, to exercise the balance of power. Though in power the Democrats were not successful in putting through the amalgamation. "We had a big battle over that, and I took a prominent part in it, and we finally defeated them," chuckled Mr. Honeyman. He explained that he had objected to North Plainfield going out of Somerset County, and did not think it practical to have half a municipality in one county and half in another. "If the lines were drawn differently it might be possible, he declared. His Career Many-Sided. The career of this remarkable man is many-sided, kaleidoscopic. He was born November 12, 1849, in the village of Germantown, Hunterdon County. "It is now called Oldwick. They changed the name during the war when they got mad at the Germans," chuckled Mr. Honeyman. He went to public schools there and later studied law under a private tutor at Easton, Pennsylvania, where he took the bar examinations and passed them successfully in 1870, 65 years ago. Today he is the oldest member of the New Jersey bar. At first Mr. Honeyman was only admitted to practice in the courts of Easton, each county having its own bar examinations in those days. He was just past 21 when admitted to the Easton bar, on November 25, 1870. A year later, at the age of 22, he was admitted to the New Jersey bar, having in the meantime come to Somerville and studied in the law office of Congressman A. A. Clark. He became a full fledged member of the state bar on June 8, 1871, and is today, though no longer in active practice, "dean" of the New Jersey legal fraternity. In Somerville the young lawyer met Miss Julia E. Reger, of White- house, and a few years later, on Aug. 3, 1875 they were married. A son and a daughter were born to them, both now married, and to day Mr. Honeyman lives with his wife at 234 East Ninth Street, Plainfield. Interest In Journalism. He became a legal partner of congressman Clark, the two practicing together for several years under the firm name of Clark & Honeyman. Then Mr. Honeyman went in for himself and practiced law at Somerville for a year or more until his interest was arouse I in journalism and he bought the Somerville weekly. the Unionist-Gazette, which he edited for 16 years. "I had always been interested in newspaper work," said Mr. Honey man in explaining his shift to that line. There was no newspaper in Germantown, where I went to school, so I got up one called the "School Wreath" and circulated it among the school children. I liked the work and later on I found that I liked it better than the work of the bar." He still practiced law in a desultory fashion, however, all the years ne edited the unionist-Gazette, taking part in the many civic battles at Somerville, lined up on the Republican side. He ran the weekly from 1875 to 1891, when ha sold out to Charles Bateman, who passed away last year. Mr. Honeyman went down to Trenton and looked over the news paper field, finally acquiring the Trenton Times, a daily newspaper, which he conducted for a year. "There was too much politics so I sold out," he said, explaining he had difficulties with the Trenton solons over legal advertising. During his brief career as a Trenton publisher, Mr. Honeyman continued to live at Somerville, com muting back and forth from the state capitol, and retaining his county residence. This was in 1891. A year later he moved to North Plainfield. "We lived in the Thorn flats." he said, smiling at the recollection. "We moved there in April of 1892, and on the corner of Somerset Street and Craig Place was a building owned by a man named Thorn. We lived In a house further down the street on Craig Place but the houses there were all called the 'Thorn flats Then came his flurry in North Plainfield politics and his campaign for the mayor's chair, and then Mr. and Mrs. Honeyman settled down to a stay of 18 years in tha borough. Always Active. But he was always active. While in Somerville he had been assist ant secretary of the State Senate at Trenton, serving in that position from 1886 to 1890. He got the job through Louis A. Thompson, state senator from Somerset County, who asked him to take the place after becoming acquainted with Mr. Honeyman through his editorial work on the Somerville newspaper. "I met the senator on the street one day and he asked me to take the job and I accepted," is the way Mr. Honeyman explains his career in the hurly burly of political life at Trenton. Returned to North Plainfield he could not keep inactive. He took an active interest In borough affairs, especially the schools, and his part in the battle over amalgamation has already been described. Publishes Law Journal. Meanwhile Mr. Honeyman was publishing the New Jersey Law Journal, a legal monthly carrying news of interest to lawyers, which he had started in 1878 while publishing the Unionist-Gazette. He carried on the publication of this journal after moving to North Plainfield, opening up offices for that purpose at 181 North Avenue in Plainfield. He still carries on publication of this journal, which has a wide circulation among lawyers, at the same address. He has edited it continuously for 57 years. Another activity of this remarkable man is his travel tours, which date back to 1886, when he was in Somerville. They are called "Honeyman's Private Tours," with the avowed purpose of holding only a few tours a year under his personal management, to be based only on actual cost rather than a large business profit. "Someone asked me to go on a tour to Chicago and I did, and I thought I could run tours better," is the simple explanation given by A. Van Doren Honeyman of how he became a tour director, personally conducting 2,568 people on many tours of foreign lands up to the present time. He also conducted tours in America. "I've met most of the kings," he says simply, when asked about his foreign experiences. He was the first to take tours into Norway and Sweden, and was greeted by the potentates on those occasions. Telling of his first tour Mr. Honeyman described how he advertised it in his paper and was surprised at the response. "I got 60 to go that first time, and I've kept on ever since," he says. References of "good moral character" were required, according to an early circular describing the tours, dug up by Mr. Honeyman from his files. The number going was limited, the rule being "Not to take anybody and everybody who might be able to pay the cost," according to the early prospectus. Continues His Tours. Today Mr. Honeyman continues his publishing and also his tours. He has edited and published' 152 volumes mostly legal works, and i3 now busy in his spare moments about home writing a large book about lawyers. This will contain the fruit of his long experiences In the legal world, also the profession of journalism. Besides law books he has published many travel books, such as "Bright Days in Merrie England," a story of coaching days; and "Bright Days in Sunny Lands," telling of visits to Spain, Italy, Cuba, and Mexico among other countries. "I've been busy enough. I'm sorry I can't be as busy as I used to be, it has been my greatest happiness, my work," he says with a cheerful smile. He has been secretary of the New Jersey Historical Society, a position requiring considerable research work, for the past 12 years, along with his other activities. Mr. Honeyman's many activities and prominence in the publishing field led to his being honored, on June 13, 1925, just ten years ago, with an honorary degree of M.A., master of arts by Rutgers University. The degree was conferred at the Rutgers commencement, and at his side was Leonor F. Loree, president of the Delaware & Hudson railroad, who stood up with Mr. Honeyman at the time. At his home in Plainfield he tends a small garden but mostly he "writes things," as he puts it, whenever he has a few spare moments. Daily he goes to his office In North Avenue, where he remains from 11 a. m. to 3 p. m. Such is a brief review of the long career of A. Van Doren Honeyman, lawyer, editor, publisher, and tour director. His 86 years have been spent In serving his fellow man, and both Plainfield and North Plainfield should be proud of him.

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