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 byEdward C. Stokes
Succeeded byWoodrow Wilson
Personal details
BornMarch 20, 1852
Pemberton, New Jersey
DiedNovember 17, 1920 (aged 68)
South Orange, New Jersey
Political partyRepublican
SpouseCharlotte E. Stainsby
Alma materAlbany Law School (LL.B.)
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Biography

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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

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References

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  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.
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Political offices
Preceded by New Jersey governor
January 21, 1908 – January 17, 1911
Succeeded by
Preceded by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey
1900 – 1907
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of New Jersey
1907
Succeeded by