George Theodore Werts

George Theodore Werts (March 24, 1846 – January 17, 1910) was an American attorney, judge, and Democratic Party politician who served as the 28th governor of New Jersey from 1893 to 1896.

His term in Governor coincided with the precipitous decline of the New Jersey Democratic Party amid the Panic of 1893 and growing ethnoreligious divisions in the state. Werts created the Palisades Interstate Park Commission which saved the New Jersey Palisades from being quarried for their rock.

Early life George Theodore Werts was born on March 24, 1846, in Hackettstown, New Jersey. He attended public schools in Bordentown and completed his education at the State Model School in Trenton.

Governor of New Jersey

1892 election

Werts was nominated for Governor in 1892 on the first ballot of the Democratic convention with Abbett's support, beating out Edward C. Young and Job Lippincott. At that point, he was the most recent Democratic Governor of New Jersey. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Morristown.