Garret Augustus Hobart was the 24th vice president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his death in 1899. He was the sixth American vice president to die in office. Prior to serving as vice president, Hobart was an influential New Jersey politician and political operative.
Hobart was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, on the Jersey Shore, and grew up in nearby Marlboro. After attending Rutgers College, Hobart read law with prominent Paterson 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, and the New Jersey Senate, where he became its president. He was a longtime party official, and New Jersey delegates went to the 1896 Republican National Convention determined to nominate him for vice president. Hobart's political views were similar to those of McKinley, who was the presumptive Republican presidential candidate.