Frank Obadiah Briggs (August 12, 1851 – May 8, 1913) was the Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey, from 1899 to 1902. He was a United States senator from New Jersey from 1907 to 1913.

Frank Obadiah Briggs
United States Senator
from New Jersey
In office
March 4, 1907 – March 3, 1913
Preceded byJohn F. Dryden
Succeeded byWilliam Hughes
New Jersey State Treasurer
In office
1902–1907
GovernorFranklin Murphy
Edward C. Stokes
Preceded byGeorge B. Swain
Succeeded byDaniel Spader Voorhees
Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey
In office
1899–1902
Preceded byWelling G. Sickel
Succeeded byFrank S. Katzenbach
Personal details
Born(1851-08-12)August 12, 1851
Concord, New Hampshire
DiedMay 8, 1913(1913-05-08) (aged 61)
Trenton, New Jersey
Political partyRepublican
ParentJames Frankland Briggs
Signature

Biography

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He was born on August 12, 1851, in Concord, New Hampshire, to James Frankland Briggs.[1]

He attended the public schools, Francestown Academy, and Phillips Exeter Academy. He was graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1872 and served in the Second Regiment, United States Infantry, as second lieutenant until 1877, when he resigned from the Army.[1]

In 1877, he moved to Trenton, New Jersey, and engaged in the manufacture of wire and wire products; he was a member of the Trenton School Board from 1884 to 1892 and was Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey, from 1899 to 1902. In 1901 and 1902, he was a member of the New Jersey State Board of Education, and was New Jersey State Treasurer from 1902 to 1907.[1]

Briggs was Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee from 1904 to 1907[2][3] and again from 1910 until his death in 1913.[1][4] He was elected as a Republican to the U.S. Senate, serving from March 4, 1907, to March 3, 1913; he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection.

While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Geological Survey (Sixty-first Congress) and a member of the Committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expense (Sixty-second Congress). He resumed his former business pursuits in Trenton, where he died in 1913, aged 61.[1] He was buried in Riverview Cemetery.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Ex-Senator Briggs Dead in Trenton". The New York Times. May 19, 1913. Retrieved October 27, 2011. was Chairman of the Republican State Committee until his death.
  2. ^ "A Business Man for New Jersey Senator". The New York Times, February 17, 1907. Accessed March 30, 2008. "In 1902, Gov. Voorhees named Mr. Briggs for State Treasurer. ... Two years later Mr. Briggs became Chairman of the Republican State Committee, and in 1905 was again chosen State Treasurer."
  3. ^ "Stokes To Stump For Fort; Ex-Gov. Murphy to Succeed Senator Briggs as State Chairman in Jersey". The New York Times, September 24, 1907. Accessed March 30, 2008.
  4. ^ "Briggs To Be Chairman; He Is Lewis's Choice to Succeed Franklin Murphy.". The New York Times, September 27, 1910. Accessed March 30, 2008.
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U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. senator (Class 2) from New Jersey
1907–1913
Served alongside: John Kean, James E. Martine
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee
1904–1907
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee
1910–1913
Succeeded by

  This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress