POTTS, Clyde, died 1950

POTTS, RYAN, COLLINS

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 3/30/2006 at 20:21:07

"The Fairfield Ledger"
Saturday, May 20, 1950
Page 5, Column 6

Death of Clyde POTTS.....

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This article appears courtesy of the Free Public Library, Morristown, New Jersey; the source of the publication and its printing date are not cited ~~

Clyde POTTS, noted water engineer, who served as mayor of Morristown for twenty four years, died at his home in Morristown after a heart attack, May 19, 1950, at the age of 73.

He was born in Libertyville, Iowa, and came east to attend Cornell University, where he majored in engineering. He moved to New Jersey in 1904 soon after his graduation and became a resident of Morristown in 1907. He became a member of the engineering staff of the water works and devoted himself primarily to water and sewage disposal plants. Becoming known in his field, he became consultant on engineering projects not only in this country, but in South America and Europe as well. He designed for Jersey City the trunk line sewer that runs along the Rockaway Valley from Dover to Boonton where the city gets it water supply. He designed a $4,000,000 water supply system for Athens, Greece. He served on the State Board of Health from 1915 to 1929, the last four years as president. He was reappointed by Governor Moore and served as president from 1939 to 1940.

He advocated and helped build the Morristown water system, and served as mayor from 1923 to 1935, and from 1937 to 1949.

Mr. POTTS traced his ancestry to Thomas POTTS who came to Burlington from England in 1679. His interest in matters historical lay behind his sponsorship of the Morristown National Historic Park, which was set up while he was mayor. Jockey Hollow and Fort Nonsense, the fort that Washington had his men build to keep them occupied during a severe winter of the Revolution, were his major hobbies and his objective was to make Morristown as great a historic shrine as Valley Forge.

He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Mary RYAN POTTS, two daughters, Mrs. John D. COLLINS and Miss Elizabeth POTTS, both of Morristown, a brother, George POTTS, of Fairfield, Iowa, and one granddaughter.

Mr. POTTS became a contributing member of the New Jersey Historical Society April 10, 1946.

*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I have no relation to the person(s).