John S. Fine | |
|---|---|
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| 35th Governor of Pennsylvania | |
| In office January 16, 1951 – January 18, 1955 | |
| Lieutenant | Lloyd Wood |
| Preceded by | James Duff |
| Succeeded by | George Leader |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Sydney Fine (1893-04-10)April 10, 1893 |
| Died | May 21, 1978(1978-05-21) (aged 85) |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Dickinson School of Law |
| Profession | Attorney, Judge |
John Sydney Fine (April 10, 1893 – May 21, 1978) was an American lawyer, judge, and politician. ARepublican, he served as the 35thgovernor of Pennsylvania from 1951 to 1955.
Fine was born inNewport Township, Pennsylvania, one of nine children of Jacob W. and Margaret (née Croop) Fine.[1] In 1895, the family moved to nearbyNanticoke, where Fine received his early education at local public schools.[2] He milked cows and plowed fields on a coal company farm as a young boy, and he later reported on local community news for theWilkes-Barre Record as a teenager.[3]
After graduating from Nanticoke High School asvaledictorian in 1911, Fine studied at theDickinson School of Law inCarlisle, earning his law degree in 1914.[4] He was admitted to practice law inLuzerne County (1914) and before theSuperior Court of Pennsylvania (1915). He opened his own practice inWilkes-Barre.[2] From 1916 to 1920, he served asRepublican chairman of the Fourth Legislative District of Luzerne County.[1]
DuringWorld War I, Fine served with the 23rdUS Army Engineers, reaching the rank of sergeant.[1] In 1919, while he was stationed in Ireland, he took postgraduate studies atTrinity College Dublin.[4] After his military service, he resumed his law practice and became a partner in the law firm Coughlin and Fine.[2]
He served as secretary of the Republican County Committee from 1920 to 1922 and as chairman of the Luzerne County Republican Committee from 1922 to 1923.[3] On January 3, 1927, GovernorGifford Pinchot appointed Fine to fill a vacancy in the Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County.[2] He was elected to a regular ten-year term in November of that year and was re-elected to another term in 1939.[4] He served as a delegate to the1936 Republican National Convention.[2] In 1939, he married Helene Pennebecker Morgan and he remained married to her until her death in 1951; the couple had two sons.[1]
In 1942, Fine was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination to theSupreme Court of Pennsylvania.[3] GovernorJames H. Duff appointed him to fill a vacancy on the Pennsylvania Superior Court on July 15, 1947.[4] He was elected to a permanent term in November 1947, serving in that position until he resigned in 1950 to campaign for governor.[4]
In 1950, after Duff decided to run for theUS Senate, Fine was elected the 35thGovernor of Pennsylvania.[1] In the Republican primary, Fine, the favored candidate of Duff, defeated Philadelphia millionaireJay Cooke, the favored candidate of the conservative machine ofJoseph R. Grundy.[3] In the general election, he narrowly defeated DemocratRichardson Dilworth, who would later become themayor of Philadelphia, by 86,000 votes.[1]
Fine was the first Pennsylvania governor to have his inauguration televised.
Fine married Helen Pennebacker Morgan (d. 1951) in 1939.[5] He later married Bernice Johnson.[6]
In 1962, Fine was indicted for evading payment of $45,000 in taxes. The Newport Excavation Co. allegedly paid for improvements on his farm along with salaries to two of his farmhands considered taxable income. Fine claimed ignorance to these issues and theGovernor of Pennsylvania,[1]David L. Lawrence, testified as a character witness in Federal Court on behalf of ex-Gov Fine. As a result, he was found not guilty. After the verdict was read Mrs. Fine said she was "thrilled and elated no end".[7]
Fine died atWilkes-Barre General Hospital on May 21, 1978, at the age of 85.[6]
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Governor of Pennsylvania 1951–1955 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Pennsylvania 1950 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
