Garret Augustus Hobart was born in Long Branch, New Jersey on June 3, 1844. Hobart, who grew up in nearby Marlboro, held a number of elected positions in his home state leading up to his election as Vice President of the United States under President William McKinley in 1896. As vice president, the good-natured Hobart was well-respected in Washington D.C., and considered a close friend and advisor to the president. Tragically, Hobart’s time in office was cut short, when he died of heart disease on November 21, 1899, at the…