Frederic Augustus Potts (April 4, 1836 – November 9, 1888) was an American businessman and Republican party politician who was the Republican nominee for Governor of New Jersey in 1880. Potts was born in 1836 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania to George Alexander Henry and Emily Dilworth (Gumming) Potts. His father was the head of the New York branch of the wholesale coal and iron firm of Lewis Audenried & Company. Potts followed in his father's footsteps, working in the coal and iron business in New York City. He controlled an extensive business as a coal merchant.