John Wesley Wescott (February 20, 1849 – June 11, 1927) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as

Attorney General of New Jersey The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confirmed by the New Jersey Senate, and term limited. ...

from 1914 to 1919. He had the distinction of making the nominating speech for

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

at the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

in both

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ...

and

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...

Early life

Wescott was born in

Waterford Township, New Jersey Waterford Township is a township in Camden County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 10,649. reflecting an increase of 155 (+1.5%) from the 10,494 counted in the 2000 census. Waterford Township wa ...

in 1849 to John and Catherine (Bozarth) Wescott. He attended

Wilbraham Wesleyan Academy Wilbraham Wesleyan Academy was one of the oldest educational institutions of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It was established by Methodist clergy of New England in 1818. Originally located in New Market, New Hampshire, before moving to Wilbraham, ...

Wilbraham, Massachusetts Wilbraham is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb of the City of Springfield, and part of the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,613 at the 2020 census. Part of the town comprises ...

before entering

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

, where he graduated in 1872. He then attended

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

, graduating in 1876. At Yale, he was active in football, rowing, baseball, wrestling, and boxing, and also won high honours for oratory and English composition.

Legal and political career

After returning to New Jersey, Wescott was admitted to the bar as an attorney in 1878 and a counsellor in 1881. He practised law in Camden County, and in 1885 was appointed by Governor

Leon Abbett Leon Abbett (October 8, 1836December 4, 1894) was an American Democratic Party politician and lawyer who served two nonconsecutive terms as the 26th Governor of New Jersey from 1884 to 1887 and 1890 to 1893. His official state biography refers t ...

to be Presiding Judge of the Common Pleas for the county. Wescott was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

and was named a presidential

elector Elector may refer to: * Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors * Elector, a member of an electoral college ** Confederate elector, a member of ...

for

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies for ...

. In the race for the Democratic nomination for

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...

in 1910, Wescott supported the candidacy of Frank S. Katzenbach, who had narrowly lost to

John Franklin Fort John Franklin Fort (March 20, 1852 – November 17, 1920) was an American Republican Party politician, who served as the 33rd governor of New Jersey, from 1908 to 1911. His uncle, George Franklin Fort, was a Democratic Governor of New Jersey f ...

in the previous election.

beat out Katzenbach for the Democratic nomination and won Wescott's support in his successful campaign for governor. When Wilson's name was put into nomination at the

1912 Democratic National Convention The 1912 Democratic National Convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory off North Howard Street in Baltimore from June 25 to July 2, 1912. The Convention The convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore from June 25 t ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, he sought out Wescott from the New Jersey delegation to give the nominating speech. Four years later, at the 1916 Convention in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, Wilson again selected Wescott to present his name for nomination. In 1914 Governor James F. Fielder appointed Wescott to a five-year term as

. His name was put forth as a Democratic candidate for

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in 1914 and 1916. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Wescott was a strong advocate of President Wilson's attempts to have the United States enter the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

. He was the head of the group Woodrow Wilson Democracy and promoted a pro-League of Nations plank in the Democratic Party platform at the 1924 Convention.

Death

In 1927 Wescott died at his home in

Haddonfield, New Jersey :''Not the fictional Illinois town from the Halloween film series.'' Haddonfield is a borough located in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough had a total population of 11,593,

at the age of 78. He was survived by his wife, Francis Marie Louise Leclerc Prior (married January 1, 1875), and his three sons Henry D. (born 1876), Ethan P. (born 1881), and Ralph W. (born 1883), all lawyers.

References

External links

Official bio
Office of the

John W. Wescott
Camden People, DVRBS.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Wescott, John W. 1849 births 1927 deaths People from Haddonfield, New Jersey People from Waterford Township, New Jersey Yale Law School alumni New Jersey lawyers New Jersey Democrats New Jersey Attorneys General Yale College alumni 19th-century American lawyers