William Thomas Cahill | |
|---|---|
 Cahill in 1969 | |
| 46th Governor of New Jersey | |
| In office January 20, 1970 – January 15, 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Richard J. Hughes |
| Succeeded by | Brendan Byrne |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew Jersey | |
| In office January 3, 1959 – January 19, 1970 | |
| Preceded by | Charles A. Wolverton |
| Succeeded by | Edwin B. Forsythe |
| Constituency | 1st district (1959–1967) 6th district (1967–1970) |
| Member of the New Jersey General Assembly | |
| In office 1951–1953 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1912-06-25)June 25, 1912 |
| Died | July 1, 1996(1996-07-01) (aged 84) Haddonfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | Saint Joseph's University Rutgers University-Camden |
William Thomas Cahill (June 25, 1912 – July 1, 1996) was an American politician, lawyer, and academic who served as the 46thgovernor of New Jersey from 1970 to 1974. ARepublican, Cahill previously served in theNew Jersey General Assembly andU.S. House of Representatives.
He ran for reelection in1973, but lost renomination in the Republican primary to congressmanCharles W. Sandman by almost 17 points. He is the only Governor of New Jersey to lose renomination in a primary.
Cahill was born inPhiladelphia to Irish immigrants William P. Cahill and Rose Cahill.[1][2] The family moved toCollingswood in 1919. He attendedCamden Catholic High School inCamden, New Jersey, and graduated in 1929. Afterwards, Cahill graduated St. Joseph's College (nowSaint Joseph's University) at Philadelphia in 1933. He returned to Camden to study at theRutgers School of Law - Camden, receiving his law degree in 1937.
In 1937 and 1938, Cahill was a special agent of theFederal Bureau of Investigation. In 1939 he was admitted to the bar and began his political career. Living inCollingswood, New Jersey,[3] Cahill was the city prosecutor ofCamden, New Jersey, in 1944 and 1945, was the first assistant prosecutor ofCamden County from 1948 to 1951 and was a special deputy attorney general of the State of New Jersey in 1951.
Cahill was a member of theNew Jersey General Assembly from 1951 to 1953. Cahill was elected to theEighty-sixth and to the five succeeding Congresses. During his tenure in the US House, Cahill voted for theCivil Rights Act of 1964[4] and theVoting Rights Act of 1965.[5] He served in the House until resigning to assume his seat as governor, serving from January 3, 1970, to January 19, 1974.[citation needed] Throughout his tenure in Congress and as governor, Cahill was widely viewed as a moderate Republican.
In1969, Cahill ran forGovernor of New Jersey, facing off against DemocratRobert B. Meyner, who had previously held the office from 1954 to 1962.[1] Cahill defeated Meyner and became New Jersey's first Republican governor in 16 years.
Cahill served as governor from January 20, 1970, to January 15, 1974, and assumed office with a Republican-controlled legislature to support him. Among his accomplishments as governor were new automobile emission standards, an increase in the sales tax from 3 to 5 percent, the introduction of thestate lottery, and the passage of no-fault auto insurance. He also played a role in bringing theNew York Giants fromYankee Stadium to a new field in theHackensack Meadowlands.[1]
On Thanksgiving Day 1971, two months after theAttica State prison riots in upstate New York, a similar rebellion rose atRahway State Prison. The revolt was quieted without violence, and Cahill's role in ending the conflict was widely commended.[1] Cahill also appointed a commission that recommended the creation of a state income tax, which proved to be controversial with voters. The proposal was defeated in July 1972, but a state income tax was finally instituted four years later, after Cahill left office.[1]
In spite of his many successes and accomplishments as governor, Cahill's term was derailed by scandal. In 1972,Secretary of State Paul J. Sherwin was convicted for fixing a $600,000 state highway contract with a contractor who returned the favor with $10,000 to Cahill's associates. Then, in April 1973, formerNew Jersey Republican State Committee chairmanNelson G. Gross andState Treasurer Joseph McCrane, who had been finance chairman for Cahill's 1969 campaign, were both charged with illegally making campaign donations to the governor as tax deductions. Both men were convicted the following year. Although investigators were unable to implicate Cahill in either affair, his reputation suffered as a result of these setbacks.[1]
Cahill ran for re-election in1973. Damaged by the scandals in his administration, he was defeated in the Republican primary election by the more conservative CongressmanCharles Sandman, who went on to lose the general election to DemocratBrendan Byrne.[1] During his final months as governor, Cahill named his predecessor, DemocratRichard J. Hughes, as chief justice of theNew Jersey Supreme Court.[6]
After his term as governor, Cahill was a senior fellow at theWoodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs atPrinceton University from 1974 to 1978.[7] Cahill died at his daughter's house inHaddonfield, New Jersey, on July 1, 1996, ofperipheral artery disease.[1] A funeral service was held at Christ the King R.C. Church. Then-governorChristine Todd Whitman, and former governorsBrendan Byrne,Thomas Kean, andJames Florio were in attendance.[8] Cahill was interred at Calvary Cemetery inCherry Hill Township, New Jersey. The William T. Cahill Center for Experiential Learning and Career Services atRamapo College inMahwah, New Jersey, was dedicated in his honor on September 10, 1997.
The couple have eight children and live in Collingswood
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 1st district January 3, 1959–January 3, 1967 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 6th district January 3, 1967–January 19, 1970 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of New Jersey January 20, 1970–January 15, 1974 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican Nominee forGovernor of New Jersey 1969 | Succeeded by |
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| Dominion of New England (1688–89) | ||
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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. | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
