Gilbert Collins

American judge

Gilbert Collins
23rd Mayor of Jersey City
In office
May 5, 1884 – May 2, 1886
Preceded byIsaac W. Taussig
Succeeded byOrestes Cleveland
Personal details
Born(1846-08-26)August 26, 1846
Stonington, Connecticut
DiedJanuary 29, 1920(1920-01-29) (aged 73)
Jersey City, New Jersey
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Harriet Kingsbury Bush
​
​
(m. 1870)​
ChildrenWalter, Blanche & Marjorie
Residence(s)Jersey City, New Jersey
Signature

Gilbert Collins (August 26, 1846 – January 29, 1920) was the 23rd mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey from May 5, 1884, to May 2, 1886.

Biography

Collins was born on August 26, 1846, in Stonington, Connecticut the son of Sarah Quinn and Daniel Webster Collins. His family immigrated to American from Kent, England before the American Revolution. His grandfather, Daniel Collins was a lieutenant in a Connecticut regiment during the Revolution. He attended Yale University, but the death of his father in 1862 forced him to leave school for financial reasons. In 1863, he moved to Jersey City and studied law under Jonathan Dixon (who was appointed an associate justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1875). Collins began practicing law in Jersey City in 1869. On January 2, 1870, he married Harriet Kingsbury Bush of Jersey City

A Republican, Collins unsuccessfully ran for the New Jersey Senate in 1880.[1] On March 25, 1884, Collins was nominated for mayor by the Independents of Jersey City.[2] He was also later nominated by the Republicans. In the election, Collins easily defeated Democrat John D. McGill by a 3,250 majority in the heavily Democratic city.[3] He served one term and was succeeded by Democrat Orestes Cleveland.

In 1892, Collins was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis that re-nominated Benjamin Harrison.

On March 2, 1897, Collins was appointed by Governor John W. Griggs as an associate justice to the New Jersey Supreme Court and served until his resignation in 1903. He continued to practice law.

Collins died of pneumonia in his home in Jersey City on January 29, 1920. He was buried in the family vault in Hilliard Cemetery in Stonington.[4]

References

  1. ^ Genealogical History Of Hudson And Bergen Counties New Jersey, accessed March 18, 2008
  2. ^ "For Mayor of Jersey City.; Gilbert Collins Nominated by the Independent Citizens". The New York Times. March 25, 1884. p. 2. Retrieved July 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Jersey City's Reform Mayor". The New York Times. April 9, 1884. p. 5. Retrieved July 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Gilbert Collins Dies at 73; Ex-Justice of Supreme Court and Ex-Mayor of Jersey City". The New York Times. January 30, 1920. p. 15. Retrieved July 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.