Everett Colby

Everett Colby (December 10, 1874 – June 19, 1943) was an American banker and politician who represented Essex County, New Jersey in the New Jersey Assembly and the New Jersey Senate from 1906 to 1909. He developed a record as a reformist and opponent of corporations and machine politics, often drawing him into conflict with the leaders of his own Republican Party. In 1913, he ran as the Progressive Party nominee for Governor of New Jersey.

Early life Everett Colby was born in Milwaukee on December 10, 1874. His father, Charles L. Colby, was the Vice President (and later President) of the Wisconsin Central Railroad.

Colby attended the Browning School in New York City, where his classmates included John D. Rockefeller Jr., Percy Rockefeller, and Harold Fowler McCormick. His teacher J.A. Browning said that Colby was a good sportsman but a poor scholar, who had great difficulty concentrating or reading but enjoyed woodwork.

Colby married Edith Hyde of Plainfield, New Jersey, in 1903. Four of their children survived him. An obituary in the Bradford Era read:

Had Everett Colby died 30 or 35 years ago, his death would have been reported all over the country. A young man of wealth, he attracted attention because he had not let business or social pleasures swallow him up, but devoted his life to public service. Within 10 years, however, for some unknown reason, Colby ceased his efforts. Now he is gone—a man made famous for a time by his ideals, who then lost his enthusiasm for public service and died relatively unknown.

In spite of his fading from public awareness, he continued working for Republican politics. He was also active in a nationwide movement to promote temperance through education rather than by statute, and in 1935 he enlisted the support of Edsel Ford and John D. Rockefeller Jr. in this endeavor.