John Franklin Fort

John Franklin Fort ( * March 20, 1852 in Pemberton, Burlington County, New Jersey, † November 17, 1920 in South Orange, New Jersey ) was an American politician and 1908-1911 Governor of the State of New Jersey.

Early years and political rise

John Fort was the nephew of George Franklin Fort, who had been 1851-1854 Governor of New Jersey. John attended the Pennington Seminary and then to 1872 the Albany Law School, where he studied law. He then began a legal career. Between 1878 and 1883 he was a member of the District Court of Newark.

Fort became a member of the Republican Party, whose national party day he visited in 1884 and 1896 as a delegate. In New Jersey, he was chairman of the regional party days of the years 1889 and 1895. In 1894 he was member of a commission to revise the State Constitution of New Jersey. 1896 John Fort judge in a court of appeal in Essex County and from 1900 to 1907 he was a judge at the New Jersey Supreme Court on 5 November 1907 he was elected governor of his state, which he compared with 49:47 percent of the vote Democrat Frank S. Katzenbach prevailed.

Governor of New Jersey and other CV

John Fort took up his new post on January 21, 1908. In his three -year term until January 17, 1911, the budget deficit was dismantled and created a Ministry of Education. In addition, the road network of the state was expanded. After the end of his term Fort remained politically active. In 1912 he joined briefly founded by Theodore Roosevelt Progressive Party, whose party conference he attended as a delegate. In 1914, he was special envoy to the Dominican Republic; a year later he took a same position on Haiti. In 1917 he was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson as Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. This office he held until November 1919. Then he resigned for health reasons. Governor John Fort died a year later in November 1920. Together with his wife Charlotte Stainsby he had three children. Among them was the son of Franklin (1880-1937), who was 1925-1931 Congressman for New Jersey.