also undertook investigations into corruption among former Demoratic officials, who were revealed to have sold pardons and accepted bribes and kickbacks from construction companies. Werts left office in 1896 after the election of John W. Griggs, the first Republican governor since 1869. He left a budget surplus of almost $1 million. Personal life In 1872, Werts married Emma Stelle. They had two daughters and she served as an important political and social advisor during his career. Later life and death After leaving office in 1896, Werts retired to Jersey City and resumed the practice of law. He died on January 17, 1910, at age 63. At that point, he was the most recent Democratic Governor of New Jersey. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Morristown. References External links Biography for George Theodore Werts (PDF), New Jersey State Library George T. Werts, The Political Graveyard Dead Governors of New Jersey bio for George T. Werts 1846 births 1910 deaths Democratic Party governors of New Jersey Mayors of Morristown, New Jersey New Jersey lawyers Democratic Party New Jersey state senators Politicians from Jersey City, New Jersey People from Hackettstown, New Jersey People from Morristown, New Jersey American Protestants Presidents of the New Jersey Senate Burials at Evergreen Cemetery (Morristown, New Jersey) 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers