Monmouth County, New Jersey, is governed by a Board of County Commissioners, who choose a director from among themselves. Prior to January 1, 2021, this position was known as the Board of Chosen Freeholders.
Pursuant to legislation passed in 1709, freeholders sat with the justices of the peace as the Board of Justices and Freeholders; the presiding officer was then known as chairman. Chairmen of the Board of Justices and Freeholders are included here where records are still extant, as well as whether they were a justice or a freeholder. Legislation passed in 1798 separated the freeholders and justices; at that time the Board of Chosen Freeholders was established. Before 1906, Monmouth County Freeholders were elected by townships; As a result of a 1905 referendum reducing the membership on the board, from 1906 to the present they have been elected at-large.
On August 21, 2020, "amid a national reckoning to reexamine vestiges of structural racism," Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill to change the name of county governing bodies. Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, an African-American woman who was once a Freeholder herself, said that the term "refers to a time when only white male landowners could hold public office." The law went into effect on January 1, 2021.
List of chairmen Board of Justices and Freeholders (1790–1798) #NameTermPartyNotesHendrick Hendrickson1790–1791Justice. This was his first term. Of Dutch descent, Hendrickson was serving as a Justice of the Peace at least as early as 1784, and from records still extant, was sitting with the Board of Justices and Freeholders by 1788. He served at least to 1796. At the May 12, 1790, annual reorganization, he was chosen as chairman of the board for one year; he was again chosen as chairman at the May 9, 1792, reorganization. In 1797, Hendrickson was elected as a Chosen Freeholder to represent Middletown Township, New Jersey, and served a one-year term. At the May 10, 1797, annual reorganization, he was once again chosen as chairman, and served as in that capacity for one year before leaving the board. In March 1799, Hendrick Hendrickson was elected to the Middletown Township Committee, where he served until 1805.Edmund Williams1791–1792Shrewsbury. Williams was elected to the board in 1789 to represent and served through 1792. At the May 11, 1791, annual reorganization, he was chosen as chairman, and served as chairman for one year before leaving the board.Hendrick Hendrickson1792–1794Justice. This was his second term.Joseph Holmes1794–1795Upper Freehold. This was his first term. Holmes was first elected to the County Board of Justices and Freeholders, the precursor to the Board of Chosen Freeholders, in 1768, and served until May 1776. He again served from May 1782 to May 1783, from 1786 to 1787, and from 1794 to 1803.First Upper Freehold Town Book He was chairman of the board from May 1794 to May 1795, and from May 1796 to May 1797. He later served on the Upper Freehold Township Committee. Holmes died on August 31, 1809, and is buried in the Olde Yellow Meeting House Yard, Upper Freehold Township.Elisha Lawrence1795–1796FederalistJusticeJoseph Holmes 1796–1797Upper Freehold. This was his second term.Hendrick Hendrickson1797–1798Middletown
List of directors Board of Chosen Freeholders (1798–2021)