The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-09-24
HON. JOHN FRANKLIN FORT
sketch of His Life and Brilliant
Public Services.

/ y
A Sketch of His Life and Brilliant
Public Services.
Justice John Franklin Fort was
born at Pemberton, Burlington coun
ty March 20, 1852, and is the eldest
child and only son of Andrew H. and
Hannah A. Fort. and a nephew of
George f. Fort, who was Governor of
New Jersey in 1852. He received his
early education at the Mount Holly
Institute, and later attended Penning-
ton Seminary. He began the study of
law in Philadelphia in the office of
Edward M. Paxson, afterward Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court of Penn
sylvapia. When Mr.. Paxson was APP
pointed judge of the Court of Common
Pleas of Philadelphia, Nr. Fort con-
tinued his studies with Evan Merritt,
Esq, then one Of the foremost lawyers
in Burlington county, and for nine
months of his student term he was in
the Office of Garrit S. Cannon, the
prosecutor of the pleas for Burlington
county. He graduated from the AL
bany Law School in 1872 with the de-
gree of Ill. B., and was classmate of
Alton B. Parker.
Mr.. Fort was admitted to the bar
as an attorney at the November term
OF 1878 and as counselor in 1876. His
political career began before he had
attained his majority in the Presiden-
tlal campaign of 1872. He served as
journal clerk OF the House of Assembly
during the sessions of 1874. In May.
1874, he located in Newark and began
the practlce OF law in Essex county.
Ia 1878 he was appointed by Governor
Mcclellan as judge of the First Dis
trict court OF the city of Newark for
the term OF i've years, at the xI irat,on
OF which ne was reapI OF tie by 60 5er-
the third year of his second term to
resume active practise.
For number of years he was a
prominent figure in local and State
politics.
His first political work, outside of
some local speaking in Burlington
county during the Newell campaign,
was done In Newark when George A.
Halsey ran against Judge Joseph D.
Bedle for Governor in 1874. Fort was
young man then, newly established
in practice. He delivered a speech
from the steps of Mr.. Halsey's old
home in Broad street, after The can
didate had introduced him as "mv
young friend" Mr.. Fort claimed
that he never knew what he said in
his speech, but his friends told him
he had made good one. He toured
the State with Mr.. Halsey making
speeches. Soon afterward Mr.. Fort
married Miss Charlotte Stainsbv.
daughter of the late former State
Senator William Stainsby. During
his second term as journal clerk and
while the constitutional amendments
OF 1915 were under discussion, a series
of articles written by him and pub
liShed in the $ Sunday CALI analyzing
the amendments commanded wide at
tention.
Another incident which centred To-
cal Interest in him was his attack in
1857 on the financial system of New
ark. He wrote freely on the subject,
showing that the methods in use we're
cumbrouS, expensive and unnecessary.
repeating his opinions before large
audiences in the old Library Hall. AS
result OF his agitation, legislation
was procured and the methods of the
sinking fund commissioners which he
had attacked were reformed. By rea.
son OF this there was a large crop in
the tax levy.
After Judge Fort quit the District
Court bench he practised law for ten
years. In 1884 he was elected a dele
gate-at-large by the Republican State
convention to the national conven-
tlon, held at Chicago At that place,
with six Others, he acted independent
ly and voted for George f. Edmunds,
OF Vermont, for President, until the
latter was dropped, and then voted
with the rest OF the Jersey delegation
for James G. Blaine. In 1889 he was
chairman of the convention which
nominated General q. Burd Grub for
Governor, and toured the State with
him. He Was also chairman of the
Griggs convention in 1895, and was a
speaker With the latter in the "whirl-
wlnd,' campaign OF that year, which
resulted in the election of the first
republican Governor in thirty years.
BY a curious turnabOut MIR. GriggS
was chairman of the convention that
nominated Judge Fort for Governor.
In 1896 Judge Fort was delegate to
the national convention at ST. Louis
at which Mckinley and Hobart were
nominated, and he placed the name OF
Garrett A. Hobart before the conven-
tion. He was also chairman of the
committee on credentials. Judge
ForJ's speeches denouncing Addicks
and later nominating Hobart gave
him national reputation as an ora
tor. Judge Fort served on important
State commissions. He helped to
codify the crimes act, work OF great
labor, and made other Qualifications.
and he served on the interstate COM
mission to revise the marriage and di-
worse laws and make them uniform.
Governor Griggs appointed Mr.. Fort
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas
of Essex county in December, 1896,
and on May 4, 1900 he was appointed
a justice of the Supreme Court by
Governor Voorhees,, and in the follow
ing year he was appointed for the full
term.
Since his appointment to the Su-
preme bench, Justice Fort has pre-
sided over the courts of Morris, Sus-
sex, Monmouth, Middlesex, Ocean,
Union and Hudson counties. While
in Monmouth county he directed the
movements which drove the gamblers
from Long Branch in 1902.
AS member OF the Supreme Court