John Francis FitzGerald (August 22, 1896 – July 23, 1961), sometimes referred to as France Fitzgerald, was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

player and judge. Born in Massachusetts, he attended

Holyoke High School Holyoke High School is a public high school in western Massachusetts, United States that serves the City of Holyoke. Since 2015, the school, along with the district, has been in state receivership and through a series of changes in practices, such ...

. He played college football as a halfback, playing on both offense and defense, at the

University of Detroit The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Roman Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catholic univer ...

during the 1917, 1919, 1920, and 1921 seasons. His education was interrupted during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

with service in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

. He played professional football as a halfback for the

Toledo Maroons The Toledo Maroons were a professional American football team based in Toledo, Ohio in the National Football League in 1922 and 1923. Prior to joining the NFL, the Maroons played in the unofficial " Ohio League" from 1902 until 1921. History O ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL). He appeared in seven NFL games, six as a starter, during the 1923 season. He studied law at the University of Detroit, worked for a time as a probation officer, and served as a Wayne County Circuit Court Commissioner for several years. He became active in politics and ran for 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 ...

in 1940, losing to incumbent Senator

Arthur Vandenberg Arthur Hendrick Vandenberg Sr. (March 22, 1884April 18, 1951) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Michigan from 1928 to 1951. A member of the Republican Party, he participated in the creation of the United Natio ...

. In 1943, he ran for Mayor of Detroit, receiving more votes in the primary than the incumbent Mayor

Edward Jeffries Edward J. Jeffries Jr. (April 3, 1900 – April 2, 1950) was an American politician, councilman, and mayor of Detroit. Early life Edward Jeffries was born in Detroit, Michigan, on April 3, 1900, the son of Judge Edward J. Jeffries and Minn ...

, but then losing to Jeffries in the general election. He was elected as a judge of the Wayne County Circuit Court in 1947 and served in that capacity until his death in July 1961.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzgerald, France 1896 births 1961 deaths American football halfbacks Players of American football from Holyoke, Massachusetts Toledo Maroons players Detroit Titans football players United States Army personnel of World War I Politicians from Holyoke, Massachusetts Michigan Democrats