Gilbert Collins (August 26, 1846 – January 29, 1920) was the 23rd mayor of

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

Stonington, Connecticut Stonington is a town located on Long Island Sound in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The municipal limits of the town include the borough of Stonington (borough), Connecticut, Stonington, the villages of Pawcatuck, Connecticut, Pa ...

the son of Sarah Quinn and Daniel Webster Collins. His family immigrated to American from

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

before the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. His grandfather, Daniel Collins was a lieutenant in a Connecticut regiment during the Revolution. He attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, but the death of his father in 1862 forced him to leave school for financial reasons. In 1863, he moved to Jersey City and studied law under Jonathan Dixon (who was appointed an associate justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1875). Collins began practicing law in Jersey City in 1869. On January 2, 1870, he married Harriet Kingsbury Bush of Jersey City A Republican, Collins unsuccessfully ran for the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...

in 1880. On March 25, 1884, Collins was nominated for mayor by the Independents of Jersey City. He was also later nominated by the Republicans. In the election, Collins easily defeated

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

John D. McGill by a 3,250 majority in the heavily Democratic city. He served one term and was succeeded by Democrat

Orestes Cleveland Orestes Cleveland (March 2, 1829 – March 30, 1896) was an American manufacturer and Democratic Party politician who represented for two terms from 1869 to 1871, and served two separate stints as Mayor of Jersey City. Early life and car ...

. In 1892, Collins was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

that re-nominated

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...

. On March 2, 1897, Collins was appointed by Governor John W. Griggs as an associate justice to the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases cha ...

and served until his resignation in 1903. He continued to practice law. Collins died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

in his home in Jersey City on January 29, 1920. He was buried in the family vault in Hilliard Cemetery in Stonington.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Gilbert 1846 births 1920 deaths People from Stonington, Connecticut Yale University alumni New Jersey Republicans Mayors of Jersey City, New Jersey Justices of the Supreme Court of New Jersey Deaths from pneumonia in New Jersey 19th-century New Jersey state court judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century mayors of places in New Jersey 20th-century New Jersey state court judges 20th-century American lawyers

Biography

References