Garret Hobart

In 1898, Hobart became seriously ill. He suffered from heart ailment that worsened with time. On November 1, 1899, Hobart resigned from public life. His condition was deteriorating.

Hobart breathed his last on November 21, 1899. His death was deeply regretted by the public at large. State buildings were draped in mourning and flags were flown at half-staff until his funeral.

Garret Augutus Hobart was born on June 3, 1844 to Addison Willard Hobart and Sophia Vanderveer in Long Branch, New Jersey. His father was a teacher by profession and founded an elementary school. He had two brothers, one elder and the other younger.

Young Hobart started his academic studies at his father’s school in Long Branch. When the family shifted to Malboro, Hobart attended the local village school. Academically brilliant, he excelled in his studies and sports.

In 1859, he graduated from a boarding school in Matawan. After a year of opting out of regular studies, he enrolled at the Rutgers College. A bright student, he finished third in his class, earning his bachelor’s degree in 1863. Theodore Frelinghuysen, New Jersey's first major-party vice-presidential candidate, presented him with the certificate.

Graduating from Rutgers, Hobart briefly worked as a teacher to repay his loans. It was during this time that a friend of his father, Socrates Tuttle, invited Hobart to study law at his office. Hobart accepted the offer. While studying law, he supported himself by working as a bank clerk.

In 1866, Hobart was admitted in the bar as an attorney. Same year, he was appointed as a grand jury clerk for Passaic County, a position that he won fom Tuttle’s beneficence. He soon progressed to become city counsellor-at-law in 1871. The following year, he was made a master in chancery.

Hobart’s political career commenced in 1872, when he ran on the Republican ticket for New Jersey General Assembly from Passaic County's third legislative district. He won by two-third majority. He served successfully for two terms, winning re-election in 1873.

In 1874, he was voted Speaker of the Assembly, a position he held for two terms, the maximum duration for which a speaker could hold then. Following this, he earned a nomination for the New Jersey Senate seat for Passaic County in 1876. He served for two terms, winning re-election in 1879.

From 1881 to 1882, Hobart served as President of the state Senate, thus becoming the first man to lead both houses of the legislature. From 1883 until 1913, he served as a Republican Party nominee for the United States Senate elections.

Hobart’s most important work as vice president came in, in 1899, during the end of the Spanish-American War. He played an important role casting the tie-breaking vote in the Senate, defeating an amendment to the treaty with Spain that would have promised future independence for the Philippine Islands.