Leon Abbett

Leon Abbett

Leon Abbett (born October 8, 1836 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , †  December 4, 1894 in Jersey City , New Jersey ) was an American politician and from 1884 to 1887 and between 1890 and 1893 governor of the state of New Jersey.

Early years and political advancement

Leon Abbett attended Central High School until 1853 . After a subsequent law degree and his admission as a lawyer, he started working in this profession in his new home town of Hoboken in 1862 . Politically, he became a member of the Democratic Party . Between 1864 and 1866 and from 1869 to 1870 he was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly and at times speaker of this chamber. In the years 1872 and 1876 he was a delegate at the respective federal party conventions of his party. From 1875 to 1877 he was a member of the State Senate ; in 1877 he was president of this body. On November 6, 1883, Leon Abbett was elected governor of his state as his party's candidate against E. Burd Grubb , a veteran of the Civil War .

Governor of New Jersey

Leon Abbett took up his new office on January 15, 1884. After his three-year term, he was replaced by Robert Stockton Green . In November 1889 Abbett was re-elected to the highest office in his state. Thus he could serve as governor for six years between 1884 and 1893, with a three-year break. During his tenure, the election laws were changed and secret voting was introduced. The New Jersey State Agriculture Committee was also formed at the time. The parliamentary representation of the individual districts of the state was also reorganized.

After his governorship ended, Abbett became a judge on the New Jersey Supreme Court . He held this office from 1893 until his death in December 1894.

Web links

• Leon Abbett in the National Governors Association (English)
• New Jersey State Library ( Memento from October 29, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (English; PDF file; 550 kB)

• Leon Abbett in the database of Find a Grave (English)