John Franklin Fort (March 20, 1852 – November 17, 1920) was an American

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

politician, who served as the 33rd

governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...

, from 1908 to 1911. His uncle,

George Franklin Fort George Franklin Fort (June 30, 1809 – April 22, 1872) was a physician, politician, judge, and a Democrat who served as the 16th governor of New Jersey from 1851 to 1854. Biography He was born near Pemberton, New Jersey. He graduated from the ...

, was a Democratic Governor of New Jersey from 1851 to 1854.

Biography

Fort was born in

Pemberton, New Jersey Pemberton is a borough in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough’s population was 1,371, reflecting a decrease of 38 (-2.7%) from the 1,409 enumerated at the 2010 United States C ...

on March 20, 1852. He attended the Pennington Seminary, and earned an

LL.B. Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

degree at

Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and has an affiliation agreement with University at Al ...

in 1872. An attorney, Fort was appointed by Governor

George B. McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...

, a Democrat, to the First District Court of Newark, a position he held through subsequent Democratic administrations until he stepped down in 1886. Fort 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 United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

1884 Events January–March * January 4 – The Fabian Society is founded in London. * January 5 – Gilbert and Sullivan's '' Princess Ida'' premières at the Savoy Theatre, London. * January 18 – Dr. William Price at ...

and

1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that ...

. In 1900, Governor Foster M. Voorhees appointed him to the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the 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 challenging th ...

, where he remained until 1907. Fort was a delegate to the

1912 Republican National Convention The 1912 Republican National Convention was held at the Chicago Coliseum, Chicago, Illinois, from June 18 to June 22, 1912. The party nominated President William H. Taft and Vice President James S. Sherman for re-election for the 1912 United St ...

. In 1909 Fort was elected an honorary member of the New Jersey

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

. In March 1917, President (and former New Jersey Governor)

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

appointed Fort to the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction o ...

, a position he held until November 1919 when he resigned due to illness. He died in his South Orange home on November 17, 1920, aged 68, and was buried at

Bloomfield Cemetery Bloomfield Cemetery, designated a New Jersey Historic Site, is located at 383 Belleville Avenue, Bloomfield in Essex County, New Jersey. Bloomfield Cemetery is one of New Jersey’s most significant rural cemeteries, and the only such landscape ...

in Bloomfield.

References

External links

Biography of John Franklin Fort (PDF)

New Jersey State Library The New Jersey State Library, based in Trenton, New Jersey, was established in 1796 to serve the information needs of New Jersey's Governor, Legislature and Judiciary. The State Library is also responsible to assist in the provision of library and ...

New Jersey John Franklin Fort

National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Members come to the association from across the politica ...

Dead Governors of New Jersey bio for John Franklin Fort
1852 births 1920 deaths Republican Party governors of New Jersey Albany Law School alumni New Jersey lawyers New Jersey state court judges Justices of the Supreme Court of New Jersey People from Pemberton, New Jersey People from South Orange, New Jersey Burials in New Jersey The Pennington School alumni Federal Trade Commission personnel Woodrow Wilson administration personnel {{US-state-judge-stub

Biography

See also

References

External links