Bernard J. Dwyer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew Jersey | |
| In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Edward J. Patten |
| Succeeded by | Frank Pallone |
| Constituency | 15th district (1981–1983) 6th district (1983–1993) |
| Member of theNew Jersey Senate from the18th district | |
| In office 1974–1980 | |
| Preceded by | District created |
| Succeeded by | James Bornheimer |
| Mayor ofEdison | |
| In office 1970–1974 | |
| Preceded by | Anthony Yelencsics |
| Succeeded by | Thomas H. Paterniti |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Bernard James Dwyer (1921-01-24)January 24, 1921 Perth Amboy, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | October 31, 1998(1998-10-31) (aged 77) Edison, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Lilyan Sudzina |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Rutgers University–Newark (attended) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1940–1945 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Bernard James Dwyer (January 24, 1921 – October 31, 1998) was an American politician who served as aUnited States representative fromNew Jersey from 1981 to 1993.
Dwyer was born inPerth Amboy,Middlesex County, New Jersey, to Daniel F. and Alice (Zehrer) Dwyer. ARoman Catholic, he attendedpublic schools, graduating fromPerth Amboy High School in 1938.[1] He attendedRutgers University–Newark, but did not earn a degree. He served in theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II (1940–1945).
Dwyer was aninsurance broker by profession. His political career began when he successfully ran for a seat on theEdison, New Jerseycity council, serving 1958–1969. He was electedMayor of Edison, New Jersey in 1969, serving a single term from 1970 to 1973. Dwyer served as a member of theNew Jersey Senate, where he represented theNew Jersey's 18th legislative district from 1974 to 1980.
He was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives, and served six terms (January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1993). He representedNew Jersey's 15th congressional district during his first term, butredistricting after the1980 Census, shifted him to the6th district.
Dwyer was the last member of Congress who was also a survivor of the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, when he retired in 1992.
Dwyer did not seek reelection in 1992, and retired in 1993. Redistricting after the1990 Census had merged his district with that of fellow DemocratFrank Pallone.
Dwyer'scongressional papers are stored at theRutgers University Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives inNew Brunswick, New Jersey. They include congressional office files consisting chiefly of documentation accumulated while he was a member of theUnited States House Committee on Appropriations.
He married Lilyan Sudzina in 1944. They had one daughter, Pamela Dwyer Stockton.
A resident ofMetuchen, New Jersey, Dwyer died atJohn F. Kennedy Medical Center inEdison, New Jersey on October 31, 1998, of aheart attack.[2] He was buried at St. Gertrude's Cemetery inColonia, New Jersey.
Bernard James Dwyer, a former Representative from New Jersey, died Saturday in Edison, N.J., at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center, which he had served as a trustee. He was 77 and, a longtime Edison resident, had lived in Metuchen, N.J., for the last few years. The cause was a heart attack, his family said.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew Jersey's 15th congressional district 1981–1983 | Succeeded by District eliminated |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew Jersey's 6th congressional district 1983–1993 | Succeeded by |
