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George Sebastian Silzer | |
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| 38th Governor of New Jersey | |
| In office January 15, 1923 – January 19, 1926 | |
| Preceded by | Edward I. Edwards |
| Succeeded by | A. Harry Moore |
| Chair of thePort Authority of New York and New Jersey | |
| In office 1926–1928 | |
| Preceded by | Julian Gregory |
| Succeeded by | John F. Galvin |
| Member of theNew Jersey Senate fromMiddlesex County | |
| In office 1907–1912 | |
| Preceded by | William H. C. Jackson |
| Succeeded by | William E. Ramsay |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 14, 1870 |
| Died | October 16, 1940 (aged 70) |
| Nationality | American |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Henrietta T. Waite |
George Sebastian Silzer (April 14, 1870 – October 16, 1940) was an American attorney, jurist, and Democratic Party politician who served as the 38thGovernor of New Jersey from 1923 to 1926.
Silzer was born on April 14, 1870, to Christina (née Zimmerman) and Theodore C. Silzer, a bar proprietor, inNew Brunswick, New Jersey.[1]
He attended local public grammar and high schools beforereading law in the offices of J. Kearny Rice. He was admitted to the bar in 1892 and opened his own office in New Brunswick, which because increasingly successful until he became a state judge in 1914.[1]
Silzer was a member of the New Brunswick board of aldermen from 1892 to 1896.[1] For ten years, he was the chair of theMiddlesex County Democratic Party.[1]
In 1906, Silzer was elected to represent Middlesex in the New Jersey Senate, aided by theBishops' Liquor Law.[1][clarification needed] He was re-elected to a second three-year term in 1909.[1]
In the Senate, Silzer was a leading member of the progressive faction.[1] In 1910, Silzer campaigned for governor on a progressive, anti-machine platform and drew 210 votes at the state convention, but finished a distant third behind nomineeWoodrow Wilson, who won the general election.[1] Although Democrats were the minority party during his entire tenure in the Senate, Silzer led the passage of several measures during the Wilson administration, including aworkmen's compensation law. He was one of Wilson's leading legislative allies.[1]
In 1912, Wilson appointed Silzer to be Middlesex County prosecutor, and he resigned from the Senate.[1] He served as prosecutor for two years until GovernorJames F. Fielder appointed him to the circuit court.[1]
Silzer had served as a judge for eight years when he was nominated as the Democratic candidate for governor in 1922. His nomination was part of a deal engineered by Hudson County bossFrank Hague; in exchange for Silzer's nomination for governor, Middlesex Democrats backed the outgoing governor,Edward I. Edwards ofJersey City, for U.S. Senate.[1]
The general election campaign was dominated by the issue ofProhibition. Silzer's opponent was a conservative "dry" Republican and fellow judge,William N. Runyon, who backed full enforcement of theVolstead Act, whereas Silzer argued it went "far beyond" the terms ofthe Eighteenth Amendment.[1] Silzer's victory was universally interpreted as a victory for alcohol liberalization and also confirmed Hague's domination of theNew Jersey Democratic Party. Silzer won the state by far less than his margin in Hudson County.[1]
Silzer generally pursued a progressive policy agenda while in office, but the legislature passed few of his proposals.
His inaugural address criticized "special privilege" and promised to "put government back into the hands of the people."[1] He proposed stringent public utilities regulation, protective labor legislation, and re-enactment of Wilson era restrictions on the coal industry.[1] In later messages to the legislature, Silzer called for prison and tax reform; expansion of public welfare; strict controls on pollution, firearms, and narcotics; support for a federal anti-lynching law, andstate securities regulation.[1]
Unlike other Democratic governors of the period, Silzer avoided close cooperation withFrank Hague.[1] He was also guaranteed a Republican legislature under the per-county apportionment system in place at the time, given that most Democratic votes came from a few urban counties.[1] Though many of Silzer's proposals have been adopted in the century since, in most instances his legislative program failed to rally support.[1] He was successful in winning restrictions on the employment of woman and child laborers and some expansions in the terms of the state workmen's compensation laws.[1]
On occasion, he resorted to purely executive power. In 1923, Silzer directed the state attorney general to bring a suit against thePublic Service Corporation amid a labor dispute. Silzer's threat led the public utilities giant to resolve the dispute and resume service.[1]
One area on which Silzer did make progress was transportation reform, as all parties agreed it was essential to stimulate population and industrial development in the years following the growth of the automobile and suburbs.[1] Silzer supported extensive construction, though he opposed the bond issues that the legislature and electorate favored to fund these projects.[1] Several of the proposals he backed were eventually completed, including theDelaware River Port Authority, theGeorge Washington Bridge, and the three bridges connecting the state toStaten Island. He also oversaw the completion of theHolland Tunnel and initiated its incorporation into the newPort of New York Authority.[1]
Silzer opened his term by recalling the entire state highway commission from office, a controversial act justified by his judgment that the commission was corrupt and incompetent, having allowed highway construction to become dominated by a few corporations.[1] He named a four-man replacement board consisting ofWalter Kidde,Hugh L. Scott, Abraham Jelin, andPercy Hamilton Stewart, but their nominations were blocked by the Senate. Instead, Silzer went directly to the voters and won support for his nominees.[1][clarification needed]
Silzer also defended state zoning laws, stating, "We must also have in mind scientific planning which will make such development as attractive as possible. In these enlightened days, we cannot drift along and permit ugliness to dominate."[1]
Silzer married Henrietta T. Waite. He was survived by one son, Parker W. Silzer.[1]
In 1926, his successorA. Harry Moore appointed Silzer as chairman of thePort of New York Authority. He oversaw the groundbreaking ceremonies for theGeorge Washington Bridge and left office in 1928.[1]
In 1933, Silzer published an analysis of state government titledThe Government of a State.[1]
Most of Silzer's life after politics was devoted to the law. In 1935, he defended mobsterDutch Schultz on federal income tax evasion charges;[1] Schultz was acquitted but later assassinated by fellow mobsters when he attempted to murder prosecutorThomas Dewey. In 1937, he was connected to theLindbergh kidnapping when he was on the defense team forEllis H. Parker, a Burlington County detective who kidnapped Trenton attorney Paul Wendel and coerced his signed confession to the kidnapping.[2]
He died on October 16, 1940, of a heart attack as he was on his way toNewark Penn Station inNewark from his law offices in that city.[3]
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Governor of New Jersey January 15, 1923 – January 19, 1926 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | Democratic Nominee forGovernor of New Jersey 1922 | Succeeded by |
| Proprietary Province |  | |
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| East New Jersey | ||
| West New Jersey | ||
| Dominion of New England (1688–89) | ||
| Royal governors |
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| State (since 1776) |
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* 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. | ||
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