Garret Hobart

Garret Hobart
Hobart, c. 1897
24th Vice President of the United States
In office March 4, 1897 – November 21, 1899
President	William McKinley
Preceded by	Adlai Stevenson
Succeeded by	Theodore Roosevelt
President of the New Jersey Senate
In office January 11, 1881 – January 9, 1883
Preceded by	William Joyce Sewell
Succeeded by	John J. Gardner
Member of the New Jersey Senate from Passaic County
In office January 9, 1877 – January 9, 1883
Preceded by	John Hopper
Succeeded by	John W. Griggs
Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly
In office January 13, 1874 – January 12, 1875
Preceded by	Isaac L. Fisher
Succeeded by	George O. Vanderbilt
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from Passaic's 3rd district
In office January 14, 1873 – January 12, 1875
Preceded by	Robert M. Torbet
Succeeded by	Robert M. Torbet
Personal details
Born	Garret Augustus Hobart (1844-06-03)June 3, 1844 Long Branch, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	November 21, 1899(1899-11-21) (aged 55) Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
Resting place	Cedar Lawn Cemetery, Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Jennie Tuttle ​ (m. 1869)​
Children	4
Relatives	George S. Hobart (nephew) Socrates Tuttle (father-in-law)
Education	Rutgers College (BA)
Profession	Politician attorney
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Garret Augustus Hobart (June 3, 1844 – November 21, 1899) was an American politician and businessman who was the 24th vice president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his death in 1899, under President William McKinley. A member of the Republican Party, Hobart was an influential New Jersey businessman, politician, and political operative prior to his vice presidency.

Hobart was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, on the Jersey Shore, and grew up in nearby Marlboro. He attended Rutgers College in New Brunswick, and read law under Paterson-based attorney Socrates Tuttle. He both studied with Tuttle and married his daughter, Jennie. Although he rarely set foot in a courtroom, Hobart became wealthy as a corporate lawyer. Hobart served in local governmental positions, and then successfully ran for office as a Republican, serving in both the New Jersey General Assembly, where he was elected Speaker in 1874, and the New Jersey Senate, where he became its president in 1881.

He was a longtime party official; during the 1896 Republican National Convention, New Jersey delegates to the convention were determined to nominate him for vice president. Hobart's political views were similar to those of William McKinley, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate. With New Jersey a key state in the upcoming election, McKinley and his close adviser, future U.S. Senator Mark Hanna, decided to have the convention select Hobart. The vice presidential candidate emulated his running mate with a front porch campaign, and also spent considerable time at the campaign's New York City headquarters. On November 3, 1896, McKinley and Hobart were elected.

As vice president, Hobart proved a popular figure in Washington and was a close adviser to McKinley. Hobart's tact and good humor were valuable to the President, as in mid-1899 when Secretary of War Russell Alger failed to understand that McKinley wanted him to leave office. Hobart invited Alger to his New Jersey summer home and broke the news to the secretary, who submitted his resignation to McKinley on his return to Washington. Hobart died of heart disease in 1899, aged 55. His place on the Republican ticket in 1900 was taken by Theodore Roosevelt, who succeeded as president after McKinley's assassination in 1901.