Frederic Augustus Potts (April 4, 1836 – November 9, 1888) was an American businessman and

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politician who was the Republican nominee for

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in 1880. Potts was born in 1836 in

Pottsville, Pennsylvania Pottsville is the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,346 at the 2020 census, and is the principal city of the Pottsville, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city lies along the west bank of th ...

to George Alexander Henry and Emily Dilworth (Gumming) Potts. His father was the head of the New York branch of the wholesale coal and iron firm of Lewis Audenried & Company. Potts followed in his father's footsteps, working in the coal and iron business in

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. He controlled an extensive business as a coal merchant. Potts had a farm in Pittstown,

Hunterdon County, New Jersey Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 128,947, making it the state's 18th-most populous county,House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

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. He was defeated, although by a narrower than usual margin in a district that was known as "the Democratic Gibraltar." He was elected to the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...

in 1873 as a Republican, breaking a long succession of Democratic victories in the Hunterdon County stretching "since the days of the Jackson." He ran for the House of Representatives seat again in 1878 and lost by only 620 votes.Obituary
''

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'', November 10, 1888. Accessed June 17, 2008. In 1880 he was the Republican nominee for

and was defeated by the Democratic nominee, George C. Ludlow, by a margin of 651 votes of some 250,000 ballots cast.Biography of George C. Ludlow

New Jersey State Library The New Jersey State Library, based in Trenton, New Jersey, was established in 1796 to serve the information needs of New Jersey's Governor, Legislature and Judiciary. The State Library is also responsible to assist in the provision of library and ...

. Prior to 1880, Potts was a director of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. In 1880 he reorganized the

New Jersey Midland Railroad The New Jersey Midland Railway was a 19th-century predecessor to the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYS&W) that operated in Northern New Jersey and Orange County, New York. Formation and construction The New Jersey Midland Railway ...

, which merged with other railroads to form the

New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (or New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad and also known as the Susie-Q or the Susquehanna) is a Class II American freight railway operating over 400 miles (645 km) of track in th ...

. He was elected president of the railway and remained in this position until his death. He died in 1888 at his family residence in New York at the age of 52.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Potts, Frederic A. 1836 births 1888 deaths Republican Party New Jersey state senators Politicians from Pottsville, Pennsylvania Politicians from Hunterdon County, New Jersey 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American legislators 19th-century New Jersey politicians