Born on December 31, 1803, at White Hill Mansion in Burlington County, New Jersey,[1] Field moved with his mother to Princeton, New Jersey in 1810,[2] graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1821, and read law in 1825.[1] He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Salem, New Jersey from 1825 to 1832.[1] He was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly from 1833 to 1834, and in 1837.[1] He resumed private practice in Princeton, New Jersey from 1834 to 1838.[1] He was Attorney General of New Jersey from 1838 to 1841.[1] He again resumed private practice in Princeton from 1842 to 1847.[1] He was a member of the New Jersey constitutional convention in 1844.[2] He was a Professor for the law department of Princeton University from 1847 to 1855.[1] He then resumed private practice in Princeton from 1855 to 1862.[1]
Field was a founder of the New Jersey Historical Society, and served as its president.[citation needed] He was a founder of the State Normal School, now known as The College of New Jersey, and served as president of its board of trustees.[citation needed] In addition, Field was a founder of the Farnham School in Beverly, New Jersey, which served as a preparatory school for prospective students of the State Normal School.[citation needed]
