Judge John Sydney Fine was born in Alden, Luzerne County, on April 10, 1893. He graduated valedictorian of Nanticoke High School and received his law degree from Dickinson Law School in 1914. Judge Fine opened his law practice in Wilkes-Barre. He also advanced his political career, serving as the Republican chairman of the Fourth Congressional District of Luzerne County.
Judge Fine had enlisted in the military, becoming sergeant of the 23rd US Army Engineers. While stationed in Ireland, Judge Fine engaged in postgraduate studies at Trinity College in Dublin. After returning home, he became a partner at the law firm Coughlin & Fine.
On January 3, 1927, Judge Fine was appointed to the Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County. He served two ten-year terms before joining the Superior Court. His time with this court was limited, though, because he was elected 35th Governor of Pennsylvania in 1950.
Judge Fine’s accomplishments as Governor included establishing the Governor’s Industrial Race Relations Commission, with the intention of eliminating discrimination; opening the state police to black officers; ending segregation in the National Guard; building rehabilitation centers to retrain injured workmen; increasing the budget for public education; and enhancing the state’s public health delivery system. Judge Fine left the governor’s office at the end of his term in 1955. He passed away on May 21, 1978.