John Tonnelé Jr. (1807 – November 26, 1852) was an American farmer and politician who was the first Roman Catholic member of the New Jersey Legislature.
He was the son of Rebecca (née Waterbury) Tonnelé (d. 1858) and John Tonnelé Sr. (d. 1846),[2] a French born merchant and senior partner with the New York wool firm of Tonnele & Hall, which was considered "the most extensive Wool dealers in the country" in 1842.
[3] His sister, Susan (née Tonnelé) Hall, was married to Valentine Gill Hall, an Irish immigrant, and they were the parents of Valentine Hall Jr. who married Mary Livingston Ludlow[4] in a marriage that "... united a member of a prominent New York merchantile family with Hudson River gentry".
[5] His maternal grandfather was Revolutionary War General David How Waterbury, Jr. of Stamford, Connecticut.
[6] In 1835, Tonnelé relocated to New Jersey and purchased a large tract of land near Hudson City.