Thomas Francis McCran (December 2, 1875 – September 19, 1925) was an American jurist and Republican Party politician who served as Speaker of the
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.
Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...
Attorney General of New Jersey
The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confirmed by the New Jersey Senate, and term limited ...
.
Early life and legal career
McCran was born in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Paterson and was educated in the public schools there. He attended Seton Hall College and graduated in 1896 with a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
degree.
He read law in the office of former State Senator William B. Gourley in Paterson and was admitted as an attorney in 1899, becoming a counselor in 1911. He practiced in Gourley's office until 1907 before opening up an office of his own.
McCran was elected City Attorney of Paterson in 1907, holding the office until 1912. He became a counselor at law in 1911 and obtained his
LL.D.
Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...
from Seton Hall in 1917.
Political career
In 1909 McCran was elected as a Republican member of the State Assembly from Passaic County, and he was re-elected in 1911 and 1912. He was named floor leader by the Republican minority in 1911 and the following year, when the Republicans took control of the Assembly, he was made Speaker. While serving as Assembly Speaker, his Secretary was William Wadsworth Evans, who would later represent Passaic County in the State Assembly from 1919 to 1924.
Before the expiration of his term, he was nominated by the Republicans of Passaic County for the
State Senate
A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...
. The
Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to:
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ran a candidate in the race, splitting the Republican vote, and the Democratic candidate Peter J. McGinnis defeated McCran by a slim margin. In 1915 he ran against McGinnis again and defeated him by a plurality of more than 8,000 votes.
In 1917 Senate Republicans named McCran majority leader, and in 1918 he was selected as Senate President. He presided as Acting Governor in the absence of Governor
Walter Evans Edge
Walter Evans Edge (November 20, 1873October 29, 1956) was an American diplomat and Republican politician who served as the 36th governor of New Jersey, from 1917 to 1919 and again from 1944 to 1947, during both World War I and World War II. Edge ...
.
In 1919 Governor Edge appointed him to the position of Attorney General for a five-year term. On the completion of his term he sought the Republican nomination for
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
in 1925. Despite the backing of Edge (now in the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
) and the regular Republican organization, McCran was defeated for the nomination by Arthur Whitney, who had the support of the
Anti-Saloon League
The Anti-Saloon League (now known as the ''American Council on Addiction and Alcohol Problems'') is an organization of the temperance movement that lobbied for prohibition in the United States in the early 20th century.
Founded in 1893 in Ober ...
. Whitney would go on to be defeated in the general election by Democratic candidate A. Harry Moore.
Death
In September 1925, three months after losing the arduous gubernatorial primary, McCran died suddenly at his home in Paterson. He was diagnosed with acute indigestion and leakage of the heart. He was survived by his wife, the former Frances C. Martin (married at Passaic, June 1916), and his daughter Frances Abby McCran (born December 15, 1918).
The Political Graveyard
The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations o ...
Attorney General of New Jersey
The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confirmed by the New Jersey Senate, and term limited ...