Rodman McCamley Price (May 5, 1816 – June 7, 1894) was an American naval officer, businessman, and Democratic Party politician who served as the 17th Governor of New Jersey from 1854 to 1857.

Using family connections to the Martin Van Buren administration, Price secured an appointment as a purser in the United States Navy in 1840.

As purser, Price's duties were primarily to oversee payrolls; he occasionally made land at Monterey, Matamoros, or Lima to provision and bargain with local merchants.

[1] On July 7, 1846, the Cyane entered the Mexican-American War by ferrying a detachment of United States Marines who seized Monterey, California.

In August 1849, he was "detached" from the Pacific Squadron for making unauthorized drafts on specie in the Customs House and neglecting to submit quarterly returns on expenses.

Price claimed his payroll vouchers were destroyed in the fire, muddling his case and leading to years of litigation over $88,000 in unaccounted Navy funds.

[1] Price was not an active member of the House and served one uneventful term in office, largely focusing on his California real estate deals and constituent services.

He argued that traditional flogging led to a "well-ordered, well-disciplined ship," but that summary courts-martial should supersede the captain's power to punish at sea.

He hewed to standard Jacksonian democratic rhetoric, criticizing unbridled corporate consolidation, paper bank notes, and public spending.

"[1] Price favored local control on the question of slavery, particularly in Kansas, and campaigned on behalf of James Buchanan and Fernando Wood in 1856.

[1] Barred from a second term in office by the Constitution of New Jersey, Price unsuccessfully sought to serve as ambassador to Mexico under President Buchanan.

Price also established a barge commerce on the inland waterways of New York state and speculated in land in the south Bergen hills.

[1] During the American Civil War, Price was largely silent on politics except to participate as one of nine delegates from the state to the Peace Conference of 1861 and an April 4, 1861 editorial urging New Jerseyans not to take up arms.

[1] He spent the remainder of his life as a gentleman farmer and struggled financially after his father's death; his various businesses failed until 1890, when the United States Congress provided him a bill of relief in his longstanding claims against the Navy.