John Franklin Fort

John Franklin Fort (March 20, 1852 – November 17, 1920) was an American Republican Party politician, who served as the 33rd Governor of New Jersey, from 1908 to 1911. His uncle, George Franklin Fort, was a Democratic Governor of New Jersey from 1851 to 1854.

John Franklin Fort
33rd Governor of New Jersey
In office January 21, 1908 – January 17, 1911
Preceded by	Edward C. Stokes
Succeeded by	Woodrow Wilson
Personal details
Born	March 20, 1852 Pemberton, New Jersey
Died	November 17, 1920 (aged 68) South Orange, New Jersey
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Charlotte E. Stainsby
Alma mater	Albany Law School (LL.B.)
Signature

Biography

Fort was born in Pemberton, New Jersey on March 20, 1852. He attended the Pennington Seminary, and earned an LL.B. degree at Albany Law School in 1872.

An attorney, Fort was appointed by Governor George B. McClellan, 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 in 1884 and 1896. In 1900, Governor Foster M. Voorhees appointed him to the New Jersey Supreme Court, where he remained until 1907.[1] Fort was a delegate to the 1912 Republican National Convention.

In 1909 Fort was elected an honorary member of the New Jersey Society of the Cincinnati.[2]

In March 1917, President (and former New Jersey Governor) Woodrow Wilson appointed Fort to the Federal Trade Commission, 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 in Bloomfield.[3]

See also

• List of Governors of New Jersey

References

1. "Appointment by Governor Stokes", Camden Courier-Post (September 26, 1907), p. 3.
2. List of members of the Society of the Cincinnati in the state of New Jersey, July 4, 1911
3. "Governor Fort Dies After Long Illness". The Morning Call. South Orange. November 20, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved December 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

• Biography of John Franklin Fort (PDF), New Jersey State Library
• New Jersey John Franklin Fort, National Governors Association
• Dead Governors of New Jersey bio for John Franklin Fort
• Dead Governors information for John Franklin Fort
• Political Graveyard info for John Franklin Fort