Brendan Byrne | |
|---|---|
.png) Byrne,c. 1974 | |
| 47thGovernor of New Jersey | |
| In office January 15, 1974 – January 19, 1982 | |
| Preceded by | William Cahill |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Kean |
| Prosecutor of Essex County | |
| In office February 16, 1959 – January 11, 1968 | |
| Appointed by | Robert B. Meyner |
| Preceded by | Charles Webb |
| Succeeded by | Joseph P. Lordi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Brendan Byrne (1924-04-01)April 1, 1924 West Orange, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | January 4, 2018(2018-01-04) (aged 93) Livingston, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 7; includingBarbara |
| Education | Princeton University (BA) Harvard University (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1945 |
| Rank |  First Lieutenant |
| Unit | United States Army Air Forces 414th Bombardment Squadron,97th Bombardment Group[1] |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal (4) |
Brendan Thomas Byrne (April 1, 1924 – January 4, 2018) was an American attorney andDemocratic Party politician who served as the 47thGovernor of New Jersey from 1974 to 1982.
Byrne began his career as a private attorney inNewark andEast Orange. In 1959, Governor Robert B. Meyner appointed Byrne to serve as Essex County Prosecutor; he served in that role until 1968. In the late 1960s, anFBI wiretap recorded localmobsters calling Byrne "the man who couldn't be bought" in reference to his high ethical standards. The publication of the comment propelled Byrne to popularity in an era when corruption was a major concern in state and national politics.[2] He left his office as prosecutor to serve as President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities from 1968 to 1970, then as aSuperior Court judge.
In1973, using "the man who couldn't be bought" as a campaign slogan,[3] Byrne ran forgovernor of New Jersey. He won the Democratic primary with support from the powerfulHudson Countypolitical machine and carried the general election. His landslide victory, until then the largest in the state's history, was seen as a reaction against a bribery scandal in state government and theWatergate scandal.
During his first term, Byrne signed thestate's first income tax, which broke acampaign promise and was initially highly unpopular across party lines. In1977, he faced several prominent challengers for the party nomination but won the Democratic primary with a small plurality of the vote. Despite expectations he would lose the general election toRaymond Bateman, Byrne came from behind to win a second term.
During his time as governor, Byrne oversaw the opening of the first gambling casinos inAtlantic City and established theNew Jersey Department of the Public Advocate. He also preserved a large majority of woodlands and wildlife areas in the state by restricting development.[4][5]
Byrne was born and raised inWest Orange, New Jersey.[6] He was the fourth child among five ofIrish AmericanCatholic parents Francis A. Byrne (1886–1974), a local public safety commissioner,[7] and Genevieve Brennan Byrne (1888–1969).[8]
In 1942, Byrne graduated fromWest Orange High School inWest Orange, New Jersey, where he as president of the debate club and senior class president.[9] He briefly enrolled atSeton Hall University, but left the university in March of the following year to join theU.S. Army.[8] DuringWorld War II, Byrne served in theU.S. Army Air Forces as a navigator on aB-17, and was awarded theDistinguished Flying Cross and fourAir Medals.[9] By the time of his discharge from active service in 1945, he had achieved the rank of lieutenant.[9]
After the end of World War II, Byrne attendedPrinceton University for two years, where he studied at the university'sSchool of Public and International Affairs.[4] Due to World War II, he spent only two years on campus, finishing his undergraduate thesis while enrolled atHarvard Law School.[4] He graduated from Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs in 1949 after completing a 95-page long senior thesis titled, "Proportional Representation in Municipal Government". He then attendedHarvard Law School, where he graduated with his LL.B. in 1951.[9][10]
Byrne then worked as a private attorney, first for theNewark-basedlaw firm of John W. McGeehan, Jr., and later for theEast Orange firm of Teltser and Greenberg.[11]
In October 1955, Byrne was appointed an assistant counsel to GovernorRobert B. Meyner.[12] The following year, he became the governor's acting executive secretary.[4] In 1958, Byrne was appointed the deputy attorney general responsible for theEssex County Prosecutor's Office.[12] The following year, Governor Meyner appointed him as the Essex County prosecutor.[12] Governor Hughes reappointed Byrne to this same office in 1964 following the end of his first five-year term.[9] From 1968 to 1970, Byrne served as the president of theBoard of Public Utilities Commissioners.[13]
In 1970, Byrne was appointed by GovernorWilliam T. Cahill to theSuperior Court.[8] He served as the assignment judge forMorris,Sussex, andWarren counties starting in 1972.[8]
In April 1973, Byrne resigned from the Superior Court to run for governor.[9]
Byrne defeated Ann Klein and Ralph DeRose in the 1973 Democratic primary to win the party's nomination for governor.[8] In the November general election, Byrne won by beating the Republican nominee CongressmanCharles Sandman in alandslide.[9] Sandman had defeated the incumbent Governor Cahill in the primary.[9] Byrne's landslide margin of victory was so vast that it allowed Democrats to capture control both chambers of the state legislature with supermajorities.[14][15][16]
On January 15, 1974, Byrne was sworn in as the 47th governor of New Jersey.[9]
Some of the policies enacted by the first Byrne administration include: the implementation of New Jersey's first state income tax, the establishment of spending limits on local governments, county governments, school districts, and the state, the establishment of both theDepartment of the Public Advocate and the Department of Energy, and the implementation of public financing for future gubernatorial general elections.[17] Although Byrne claimed during the 1973 campaign that a personal income tax would not be necessary for "the foreseeable future", he eventually "muscled through" the unpopular income tax, New Jersey's first, in 1976; it earned him the nickname "One-Term Byrne".[18]
Byrne faced ten opponents in the 1977 Democratic primary, including future governorJames Florio.[9] However, Byrne obtained the party's nomination, and went on to defeat his Republican opponent, State SenatorRaymond Bateman, in the general election on November 8, 1977.[4] This despite the fact that in early 1977, three-quarters of voters disapproved of his job performance and in polls taken in the summer, he trailed Bateman by 17 points.[19]
Byrne and Bateman debated nine times and Byrne used the governorship to his advantage, signing bills and appearing with cabinet members all over the state, benefiting from a visit byPresident Carter and turning what was his biggest weakness, the income tax, into a strength.[12] Shortly before the 1977 gubernatorial election, New Jersey homeowners began receiving rebate checks (funded by state income tax revenues) to offset their property taxes, while Bateman's plan—replacing the state income tax with an increased sales tax—was widely criticized.[20]
Until2021, Byrne was the last Democrat to win re-election as Governor in New Jersey.
During his second term, Byrne focused on policies such as: the passage of the Pinelands Protection Act, expansion of major highways, including theAtlantic City Expressway andInterstate 287, upgrades to sewage systems, further development of theMeadowlands Sports Complex, and casino-hotel development inAtlantic City.[4] He is one of only two Democrats, also including incumbent Phil Murphy, to be elected governor twice in the past fifty years.[12] The other governors elected to two terms (Thomas Kean,Christie Whitman, andChris Christie) have all beenRepublicans.[18]
| The Byrne Cabinet[21] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office | Name | Term |
| Governor | Brendan Byrne | January 15, 1974 – January 19, 1982 |
| Secretary of Agriculture | Phillip Alampi | July 2, 1956 – June 30, 1982 |
| Attorney General | William F. Hyland | January 15, 1974 – January 17, 1978 |
| John J. Degnan | January 17, 1978 – March 5, 1981 | |
| Judith J. A Yaskin | March 5, 1981 – March 26, 1981 (acting) | |
| James R. Zazzali | March 26, 1981 – January 19, 1982 | |
| Commissioner of Banking | Richard F. Schaub | February 26, 1973 – August 31, 1976 |
| Robert F. Wagner | September 1976 – May 1977 | |
| Mary L. Parell | May 2, 1977 – February 22, 1978 | |
| Robert R. Bianchi | February 24, 1978 – February 8, 1982 | |
| President of the Civil Service Commission | James A. Alloway | June 8, 1970 – September 23, 1976 |
| S. Howard Woodson | September 23, 1976 – March 23, 1982 | |
| Commissioner of Community Affairs | Sidney L. Willis | 1974 (acting) |
| Patricia Q. Sheehan | January 17, 1974 – December 1, 1978 | |
| Joseph A. LeFante | December 15, 1978 – February 10, 1982 | |
| Commissioner of Corrections | Robert Mulcahy | November 8, 1976 – January 17, 1978 |
| William H. Fauver | June 15, 1978 – December 31, 1997 (Acting: January 18, 1974 – June 15, 1978) | |
| Defense Adjutant General | Major General William R. Sharp | April 23, 1970 – March 20, 1974 |
| Major GeneralWilfred C. Menard Jr. | March 20, 1974 – February 10, 1982 | |
| Commissioner of Education | Fred G. Burke | July 1, 1974 – March 31, 1982 |
| Commissioner of Energy | Anthony J. Grossi, President (PUC) | 1972 – 1975 |
| Joel R. Jacobson, President (PUC) | 1975 – July 20, 1977 | |
| Joel R. Jacobson, Commissioner (DOE) | July 21, 1977 – December 22, 1981 | |
| Charles A Richman | 1981 – 1982 (acting) | |
| Commissioner of Environmental Protection | Richard J Sullivan | May 5, 1970 – May 6, 1974 |
| Joseph T. Barber | 1974 (acting) | |
| David J. Bardin | May 9, 1974 – May 6, 1977 | |
| Rocco D. Ricci | July 10, 1977 – May 12, 1978 (Acting: 1977) | |
| Betty Wilson | 1978 (acting) | |
| Daniel Joseph O'Hern | May 12, 1978 – July 16, 1979 | |
| Betty Wilson | 1979 (acting) | |
| Jerry F. English | August 23, 1979-March 1, 1982 | |
| Commissioner of Health | James R. Cowan | January 29, 1970 – May 13, 1974 |
| Joanne E. Finley | June 17, 1974 – March 5, 1982 | |
| Chancellor of Higher Education | Ralph A. Dungan | June 26, 1967 – August 9, 1977 |
| T. Edward Hollinder | August 9, 1977 – June 30, 1990 | |
| Commissioner of Human Services | Ann Klein, DIA | 1974 – October 31, 1976 |
| Ann Klein, DHS | November 1, 1976 – February 5, 1981 | |
| Timothy Carden | March 17, 1981 – February 25, 1982 | |
| Commissioner of Insurance | Richard C. McDonough | February 14, 1972 – January 21, 1974 |
| James J. Sheeran | January 21, 1974 – January 25, 1982 | |
| Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development | Joseph A. Hoffman | 1974 – 1976 |
| John J. Horn | 1976 – 1982 | |
| Public Advocate | Stanley Van Ness | May 21, 1974 – February 11, 1982 |
| Secretary of State | J. Edward Crabiel | January 15, 1974 – July 11, 1977 |
| F. Joseph Carragher | 1974 (acting) | |
| George W. Lee | 1977 (acting) | |
| Donald Lan | July 11, 1977 – January 19, 1982 | |
| Commissioner of Transportation | Alan Sagner | January 21, 1974 – August 15, 1977 |
| Russell Mullen | August 15, 1977 – May 22, 1978 | |
| Louis Gambaccini | May 22, 1978 – September 25, 1981 | |
| Anne Canby | November 16, 1981 – April 16, 1982 (Acting: August 13, 1981 – November 16, 1981) | |
| State Treasurer | Richard Leone | January 15, 1974 – December 10, 1976 |
| Clifford A. Goldman | February 18, 1977 – January 19, 1982 (Acting: 1976 – 1977) | |
.jpg)
After leaving office in 1982, Governor Byrne became a senior partner at Carella, Byrne, Bain, Gilfillan, Cecchi, Stewart & Olstein inRoseland, New Jersey (now Carella, Byrne, Cecchi, Brody and Agnello, P.C.).[22] Additionally, Byrne and his successor as governor,Thomas Kean, co-wrote a weekly column inThe Star-Ledger, containing their "dialogue" on state and national public affairs and politics.[9] He also taught courses atPrinceton University andRutgers University.[22]
Despite not supporting all of his policies, Byrne said that GovernorChris Christie should run forpresident in 2016, calling Christie "the best candidate that the Republicans have" and complimented his "charm".[18]
On June 27, 1953, he marriedJean Featherly,[9] with whom he had seven children.[23] Byrne's son, Tom Byrne, was theNew Jersey Democratic State Committee chair in the 1990s and was a prospective candidate for theU.S. Senate race in 2000, before withdrawing in favor of eventual winnerJon Corzine, who later becamegovernor.[4] Byrne's oldest granddaughter, Meaghan, who saved his life with theHeimlich maneuver at a restaurant in April 2016, worked as a legislative staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives before moving into NGO foreign policy work.[24]
Jean and Brendan Byrne divorced in 1993 after 40 years of marriage. She died in 2015 ofbabesiosis, aged 88.[23]
Byrne married Ruth Zinn, who was also divorced, in 1994.[9][25]
On February 16, 2010, while vacationing inLondon with his wife, Byrne was punched in the face by a mentally ill man nearWaterloo tube station.[26] The attacker was subsequently restrained by aLondon Underground station supervisor who came to Byrne's aid until the police arrived.[26] Byrne, who had taken part in a staged charity boxing match withMuhammad Ali in 1979, joked, "At least I didn't fall down at Waterloo, as when I fought Ali."[26][27]
Byrne died on January 4, 2018, inLivingston, New Jersey, of a lung infection at the age of 93.[5][2][8][13]
His funeral was held on January 8 at thePaper Mill Playhouse inMillburn, New Jersey.[28] ArchbishopJoseph W. Tobin, then-GovernorChris Christie and Governor-electPhil Murphy, former governorsThomas Kean,Donald DiFrancesco,Jim McGreevey,Richard Codey andJon Corzine andU. S. RepresentativeBill Pascrell were in attendance.[29] Byrne's remains werecremated and his ashes were interred inPrinceton Cemetery.
From 1981 to 1996, theMeadowlands Arena inEast Rutherford was named Brendan Byrne Arena. It hosted theNew Jersey Devils,New Jersey Nets, andSeton Hall Pirates men's basketball. The arena was then renamed Continental Airlines Arena, followed by IZOD Center.[30]
TheBrendan T. Byrne State Forest, formerly Lebanon State Forest, inNew Lisbon is named for him.[8]
In 2006,Rutgers University's Center on the American Governor of theEagleton Institute of Politics established the Brendan T. Byrne Archive, an online database containing various resources from the Byrne administration, including original documents and video interviews with Brendan Byrne and members of his administration.[31]
In 2011, Byrne was inducted into theNew Jersey Hall of Fame along withQueen Latifah,John Travolta, and ten others.[32]
In 2014, Byrne's former chief counsel Donald Linky published a biography of Byrne,New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne: The Man Who Couldn't Be Bought.[18][33][34]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of New Jersey 1973,1977 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theDemocratic Governors Association 1980–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of New Jersey 1974–1982 | Succeeded by |
| Proprietary Province |  | |
|---|---|---|
| East New Jersey | ||
| West New Jersey | ||
| Dominion of New England (1688–89) | ||
| Royal governors |
| |
| State (since 1776) |
| |
* UnderN.J.S.A. 52:15-5 (as amended in 2005), an acting governor serving for 180 continuous days or more is conferred the title of Governor. | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
