John Foster

JOHN FOSTER was a noted policeman in Camden in the 1890s. Born in Bloomfield NJ in 1859, his parents moved to Camden in 1861. He attended school in Camden, before going to work as a hatter at the age of 17. When the Census was taken in 1880 John Foster had married Mary Hanle. The couple lived at 702 South 3rd Street, and were the parents of a daughter, Louisa, not quite a year old. At least three more children would follow before Mrs. Foster passed in the spring of 1894.

John Foster continued working as a hatter until 1888. Active in local Republican politics, he became a member of the Camden police force when the Republicans swept into office in a landslide that year. The Foster family by then was living at 345 Pine Street. John Foster was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in March of 1893, and  was put in charge of the southern part of Camden, solving many notable cases and making numerous arrests. He was appointed Chief of Police in 1899, succeeding long-time Chief Samuel Dodd. 

In 1895 John Foster served as the first Exalted Ruler of Camden Lodge 293 of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. Other charter members included Frank A. Ward, Charles L. Bowman, Dr. A. Haines Lippincott, Dr. J. F. Leavitt, Fred W. George, T. L. Bear, William M. Fithian, Everett Ackley, Fithian S. Simmons, Philip Wilson, Paul E. Quinn, John N. Kadel, William G. Maguire, Frank B. Sweeten and Maurice Hertz.  

Chief Foster oversaw the expansion Camden's police department at the same time as Camden expanded with the annexation of Stockton Township, which brought what is now known as East Camden and Cramer Hill within the city limits. Chief Foster served under both Republican and Democrat mayors. He was still serving as Chief of Police when he died on March 1, 1906 at Jefferson Hospital. 

Philadelphia
Inquirer

April 22, 1894

John Foster
Goerge Brooks
Frank Grapewine
Lizzie Slachfelt
John Cooper
Joseph T. Wilson
William G. Kafrer
George Lippard
Brotherhood of the Union

Philadelphia
Inquirer

September 2, 1898

Cooper B. Hatch
Samuel Dodd
John Foster
William Hart

Philadelphia Inquirer
December 22, 1898

William Ilgenfritz
Jacob N. Wise
Charles Gordon
Victor Kline
Charles E. Wilson
Bessie Hughes
Mrs. Marshall
Cooper B. Hatch
John Foster
Harry C. Kramer
J. WIllard Morgan
Charles Baron
George Cooper
Harry Miller
George Anderson
Officer Edwin Hartmann
James Ware
Joseph Nowrey
Mickle Street
Delaware Avenue
Market Street
South 9th Street
Ferry Avenue
Vine Street
Front Street
Arch Street

Philadelphia
Inquirer

January 29, 1901

John Foster
Col. Daniel B. Murphy
Charles O. Pedrick

Philadelphia
Inquirer

March 21, 1904

John Foster
James Foster
Broadway

Philadelphia
Inquirer

August 12, 1904

John Foster
George Daly
Edward S. Strang
Charles F. Watkins
O. Glen Stackhouse

Locust Street
Walnut Street

Camden Iron Works

Philadelphia
Inquirer

October 25, 1904

John Foster
Edward Hyde
Charles O. Pedrick
Elisha Albert Gravenor
David Bentley
John Reeder
William Schregler
George Nowrey

Philadelphia Inquirer - March 2, 1906

John Foster - James Foster - Ionic Lodge No. 94. F & A. M.
Fifth Ward Republican Club - Mount Vernon Street

Philadelphia
Inquirer

March 3, 1906

John Foster
William Schregler

Philadelphia Inquirer - March 5, 1906

March 21, 1906

Philadelphia
Inquirer

March 13, 1909

John Foster
James Foster
Broadway

Camden Courier-Post - June 2, 1933

CAMDEN ELKS HOPE TO GET CONVENTION
Advisory Committee Will Present Formal Invitation for State Meet

The twenty-first annual reunion and the convention of the New Jersey State Elks Association will be held in Camden next June if efforts of the advisory board of Camden Lodge of Elks are successful at the state meeting in Newark on June 15, 16 and 17.

Members of the advisory board for the local lodge, who are past exalted rulers of the Camden lodge, will present the invitation to hold the 1934 meeting in Camden, at the twentieth reunion and convention in Newark.

Members of the lodge have adopted a resolution confirming the action of the advisory board and plans were made to set the necessary machinery in motion to bring the 1934 convention to Camden. It was pointed out that Camden Elks have the largest home in the state.

Samuel Kirkpatrick, the oldest past exalted ruler of the lodge, is head of the advisory board, and Harry G. Robinson, youngest past exalted ruler, is delegate to the state association, which is composed of past exalted rulers of all Elks lodges in New Jersey. 

Although the state association was formed in Camden, there has never been a reunion or convention of the association held here, it was pointed out.

The outstanding feature of each annual convention is the mammoth sessions, with thousands of Elks in line. It is estimated the parade would draw more than 50,000 persons to Camden, if the local lodge's invitation is accepted.

The Camden lodge is sending the band and patrol to Newark for the parade, which will start at 7 p. m. on June 17. Arrangements are being made to have the largest delegation in the parade represent Camden.

Past exalted rulers who comprise the advisory board, and the year they took office, follow: Samuel Kirkpatrick, 1900; Dr. A. Haines Lippincott, 1901; Alex J. Milliette, 1906; J. Harry Switzer, 1908; James H. Long, 1911; Marion Moriarty, 1913; Allen Jarvis, 1914; Albert Austermuhl, 1915; William L. Sauerhoff, 1917; Theodore T. Kausel, 1918; Garfield Pancoast, 1919; William G. Ferat, 1920; Harry Ellis, 1921; Samuel A. Dobbins, 1923; D. Trueman Stackhouse, 1924; Frank S. Van Hart, 1925; Edward J. Kelly, 1926; Rud Preisendanz, Jr., 1927; Roy R. Stewart, 1928; William H. lszard, 1929; William Lehman, 1930; J. Harry Todd, 1931, and Harry G. Robinson, 1932.

Deceased past exalted. rulers and the year they took office are: John H. Foster, 1895; W. E. B. Miller, 1896; Philip Burch, 1897; D. Harry Condit, 1898; H. L. Hartshorn, 1899; George D. Borton, 1902; Maurice Rogers, 1904; Francis Warren, 1907; E. Wilmer Collins, 1909; Lewis H. Leigh, 1910; Morris Odell, 1912, and W. Wallace Balcom, 1922.