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Leon Abbett

Personal Profile

Leon Abbett
  • Date of Birth:
    October 8, 1836
  • Zodiac Sign:
    Libra
  • Place of Birth:
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Place of Death:
    Jersey City, New Jersey
  • Date of Death:
    December 4, 1894
  • Sex:
    Male
  • Nationality:
    American
  • Religion:
    Unknown
  • Education:
    Central High School

Family

Leon Abbett
  • Father:
    Ezekiel Abbett
  • Mother:
    Sarah Howell
  • Spouse:
    Mary Briggs

Career

Leon Abbett

Trivia

Leon Abbett
  • He also banned convict and child labor and established wage, maximum hours, and occupational health and safety standards.
  • A series of laws were initiated by Abbett, designed to better industrial employment conditions.
  • He worked to voice the concerns of the common man who had been oppressed by unrestrained capitalism and special privilege.
  • Abbett was a natural leader and he successfully arouse enthusiasm among the lower classes who had been demoralized by big business and concentrated wealth, due to labor unrest, ethnic conflict and a generation of agricultural malcontent.
  • Abbett was endearingly known as the "Great Commoner," and he was well liked by the impoverished urban lower class as well as the poor, agrarian community.

Biography

Leon Abbett
Last Updated: Monday, September 14, 2009

He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Ezekiel and Sarah (Howell) Abbett. He attended Central High School and graduated in 1853. He was admitted to the Philadelphia bar in 1858. In April 1861, he moved to New York to open a law firm and formed a partnership with William Fuller. Abbett married Mary Briggs of Philadelphia in 1862 and the couple moved to Hoboken, New Jersey.

In 1864, Abbett entered politics and was elected as a Democrat to the New Jersey General Assembly, where he served from 1864-1866; and 1869-1870 when he was also the Speaker. He also served one term in the New Jersey Senate from 1875-1877 and was Senate President in the '77 session. Abbett was elected governor of New Jersey in 1883 (defeating Jonathan Dixon in '83 and Civil War hero E. Burd Grubb in '89) and served two non-consecutive terms from 1884-1887 and again from 1890-1893.

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