After graduating from the Philadelphia Medical College in Pennsylvania he began his medical practice in Milledgeville 1810.
In 1812, he organized the "Baldwin Volunteers" in Milledgeville, serving as Captain naming Abram Fannin, his future wife's uncle, as first lieutenant. He was severely wounded in the leg in a battle with the Indians in Florida which later in life gave him trouble..
After he was wounded he returned home and practiced medicine. In 1818, he was elected to the lower house of the State Legislature from Baldwin Co, and was reelected successively for 8 years, until 1825.
October 28, 1824, 37 year old Fort, was married in Madison, Morgan County to Martha Low Fannin, age 21, daughter of Joseph Decker Fannin and Betsy Low. Thirteen children were born from this marriage. Twelve are: Julia Emily Fort Huguenin 1826 - 1863,
George Washington Fort 1828 - 1866, Abraham Fannin Fort 1830 - 1831, Ann Elizabeth 1831 - 1833, Martha Fannin Fort Morgan 1833 - 1886, Susan E. Fort 1836 - 1859, Catherine Haynes Fort 1838 - 1914; Tomlinson Fort Jr. 1839 - 1910, John Porter Fort 1841 - 1917, Sarah Floyd Fort Milton 1843 - 1910, Eliza Roan Fort 1846 - 1847, Frances "Fannie" Gilmer Fort Brown 1849 - 1919.
In 1826 he was elected, as a representative from the Sixth district, to Federal Congress, and served from March 4 1827 to March 3, 1829. In 1829 he was elected Trustee of University of Georgia in Athens and served for over 27 years.
In 1831 became owner of the Federal Union Newspaper and Director of Central Bank at Milledgeville from 1832 to 1843. In 1849 he wrote "A Dissertation on the Practice of Medicine" a valuable work on medicine.
He died in Milledgeville, May 11, 1859, age 73 of erysipelas (strep infection) of the head and is buried in Memory Hill Cemetery. His wife, who lies by his side, died June 14, 1883 in Macon, Ga,
