Brendan Byrne
Encyclopedia
Brendan Thomas Byrne is an American Democratic Party
politician from New Jersey
, who served as the 47th Governor of New Jersey
, from 1974 to 1982.
. He is the fourth of Francis A. Byrne (1888–1973) and Genevieve (Brennan) Byrne's five children.
In 1942, Byrne graduated from West Orange High School
, where he had served as both the president of the debating club and senior class president. He briefly enrolled at Seton Hall University
, only to leave in March the following year to join the U.S. Army. During World War II, Byrne served in the U.S. Army Air Corps, receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross
and four Air Medal
s. By the time of his discharge from active service in 1945, he had achieved the rank of lieutenant.
After the war, Byrne attended Princeton University
, where he majored in Public and International Affairs. He received his A.B. in 1949 from Princeton, and went on to obtain his law degree from Harvard Law School
in 1951.
On June 27, 1953, he married Jean Featherly.
Prior to entering public service, Brendan Byrne worked as an attorney, first for the Newark
firm of John W. McGeehan Jr, and later for the East Orange
firm of Teltser and Greenberg.
, and the following year he became the Governor's acting executive secretary. In 1958, Byrne was appointed the deputy attorney general responsible for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. The following year, Governor Meyner appointed him as the Essex County Prosecutor. Governor Hughes reappointed Byrne to this same office in 1964 following the end of his first five-year term. From 1968 to 1970, Byrne served as the president of the Board of Public Utilities Commissioners.
In 1970, Byrne was appointed by Governor Cahill
to the Superior Court
. He served as the assignment judge for Morris
, Sussex
, and Warren
Counties starting in 1972. In April 1973, Byrne resigned from the Superior court to run for governor.
, who had defeated the incumbent Governor Cahill in the primary.
On January 15, 1974, Brendan Byrne was sworn in as the 47th governor of New Jersey.
Although Byrne claimed during the 1973 campaign that a personal income tax would not be necessary for "the foreseeable future", he eventually enacted the state's first income tax.
. However, Byrne obtained the party's nomination, and went on to defeat his Republican opponent, State Senator Ray Bateman, in the general election on November 8, 1977.
and Interstate 287
, upgrades to sewage systems, further development of the Meadowlands Sports Complex
, and casino-hotel development in Atlantic City
.
. Additionally, Byrne and his successor as governor, Thomas Kean, co-write a weekly column in The Star Ledger, containing their "dialogue" on state and national public affairs and politics. He has also taught courses at Princeton University
and Rutgers University
.
In 1993, Byrne and his wife Jean Featherly divorced. The following year he married Ruthi Zinn, president of Zinn, Graves & Field, a public relations firm.
On February 16, 2010, while vacationing in London with his wife, Byrne was punched in the face by a mentally ill man. The attack took place outside Waterloo underground station. The attacker was subsequently restrained by a London Underground station supervisor who came to Byrne's aid until the police arrived. Byrne told newspapers, "I never fell down, like when I fought Muhammad Ali."
and New Jersey State Bar Associations.
He also served as
established the Brendan 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.
The Brendan T. Byrne State Forest
(formerly Lebanon State Forest) is named for him. The Brendan T. Byrne Arena in the Meadowlands Sports Complex
in East Rutherford
was also named for him, although it was renamed the Continental Airlines Arena in 1996, and then the Izod Center in 2007.
Byrne's son, Tom Byrne, was the New Jersey Democratic State Committee
chair in the 1990s and was a prospective candidate for the U.S. Senate race in 2000, before withdrawing in favor of eventual winner Jon Corzine
, who later became governor
.
In 2011, Byrne was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame
.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician from New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, who served as the 47th Governor of New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
, from 1974 to 1982.
Early life and education
Byrne was born and raised in West Orange, New JerseyWest Orange, New Jersey
West Orange is a township in central Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 46,207...
. He is the fourth of Francis A. Byrne (1888–1973) and Genevieve (Brennan) Byrne's five children.
In 1942, Byrne graduated from West Orange High School
West Orange High School (New Jersey)
West Orange High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from West Orange in Essex County, New Jersey. WOHS is currently the only high school serving the West Orange Public Schools...
, where he had served as both the president of the debating club and senior class president. He briefly enrolled at Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
, only to leave in March the following year to join the U.S. Army. During World War II, Byrne served in the U.S. Army Air Corps, receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
and four Air Medal
Air Medal
The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...
s. By the time of his discharge from active service in 1945, he had achieved the rank of lieutenant.
After the war, Byrne attended Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, where he majored in Public and International Affairs. He received his A.B. in 1949 from Princeton, and went on to obtain his law degree from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1951.
On June 27, 1953, he married Jean Featherly.
Prior to entering public service, Brendan Byrne worked as an attorney, first for the Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
firm of John W. McGeehan Jr, and later for the East Orange
East Orange, New Jersey
East Orange is a city in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the city's population 64,270, making it the state's 20th largest municipality, having dropped 5,554 residents from its population of 69,824 in the 2000 Census, when it was the state's 14th most...
firm of Teltser and Greenberg.
New Jersey political career
In October 1955, Byrne was appointed an assistant counsel to Governor MeynerRobert B. Meyner
Robert Baumle Meyner of Phillipsburg, New Jersey was an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 44th Governor of New Jersey, from 1954 to 1962...
, and the following year he became the Governor's acting executive secretary. In 1958, Byrne was appointed the deputy attorney general responsible for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. The following year, Governor Meyner appointed him as the Essex County Prosecutor. Governor Hughes reappointed Byrne to this same office in 1964 following the end of his first five-year term. From 1968 to 1970, Byrne served as the president of the Board of Public Utilities Commissioners.
In 1970, Byrne was appointed by Governor Cahill
William T. Cahill
William Thomas Cahill was an American Republican Party politician who served as the 46th Governor of New Jersey, from 1970 to 1974, and who represented New Jersey's 1st congressional district in the U.S...
to the Superior Court
New Jersey Superior Court
The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with state-wide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The Superior Court has three divisions: the Appellate Division is essentially an intermediate appellate court while the Law and Chancery Divisions function as trial courts...
. He served as the assignment judge for Morris
Morris County, New Jersey
Morris County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City. According to the United States 2010 Census, the population was 492,276. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Morristown....
, Sussex
Sussex County, New Jersey
The County of Sussex is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. It is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 Federal decennial census, 149,265 persons resided in Sussex County...
, and Warren
Warren County, New Jersey
Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 108,692. Its county seat is Belvidere...
Counties starting in 1972. In April 1973, Byrne resigned from the Superior court to run for governor.
1973 gubernatorial victory
Byrne defeated Anne Klein and Ralph DeRose in the 1973 Democratic primary to win the party's nomination for governor. In the November general election, Byrne won by beating the Republican nominee Congressman Charles SandmanCharles W. Sandman, Jr.
Charles William Sandman, Jr. was an American Republican Party politician who represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives and was the party's candidate for Governor of New Jersey in 1973.-Biography:Sandman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, who had defeated the incumbent Governor Cahill in the primary.
On January 15, 1974, Brendan Byrne was sworn in as the 47th governor of New Jersey.
First term as governor of New Jersey
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 the Department of the Public Advocate and the Department of Energy, and the implementation of public financing for future gubernatorial general elections.Although Byrne claimed during the 1973 campaign that a personal income tax would not be necessary for "the foreseeable future", he eventually enacted the state's first income tax.
1977 gubernatorial reelection
Byrne faced no less than 10 opponents in the 1977 Democratic primary, including future governor James FlorioJames Florio
James Joseph "Jim" Florio is a Democratic politician who served as the 49th Governor of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994, the first Italian American to hold the position...
. However, Byrne obtained the party's nomination, and went on to defeat his Republican opponent, State Senator Ray Bateman, in the general election on November 8, 1977.
Second term as governor of New Jersey
During his second term, Byrne focused on policies such as: the passage of the Pinelands Protection Act, expansion of major highways, including the Atlantic City ExpresswayAtlantic City Expressway
The Atlantic City Expressway is a , controlled-access toll road in New Jersey, managed and operated by the South Jersey Transportation Authority...
and Interstate 287
Interstate 287
Interstate 287 is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York. It is a partial beltway around New York City, serving the northern half of New Jersey and the counties of Rockland and Westchester in New York...
, upgrades to sewage systems, further development of the Meadowlands Sports Complex
Meadowlands Sports Complex
The MetLife Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in East Rutherford, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority...
, and casino-hotel development in Atlantic City
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
.
Life after his tenure as governor
After leaving office in 1982, Governor Byrne became a senior partner at Carella, Byrne, Bain, Gilfillan, Cecchi, Stewart & Olstein in RoselandRoseland, New Jersey
Roseland is a borough in western Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,819...
. Additionally, Byrne and his successor as governor, Thomas Kean, co-write a weekly column in The Star Ledger, containing their "dialogue" on state and national public affairs and politics. He has also taught courses at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
.
In 1993, Byrne and his wife Jean Featherly divorced. The following year he married Ruthi Zinn, president of Zinn, Graves & Field, a public relations firm.
On February 16, 2010, while vacationing in London with his wife, Byrne was punched in the face by a mentally ill man. The attack took place outside Waterloo underground station. The attacker was subsequently restrained by a London Underground station supervisor who came to Byrne's aid until the police arrived. Byrne told newspapers, "I never fell down, like when I fought Muhammad Ali."
Positions held, past and present
Byrne is a member of the Essex County, New JerseyEssex County, New Jersey
Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 783,969, ranking it third in the state after Bergen County and Middlesex County; Essex County's population has declined from 786,147 as of the bureau's...
and New Jersey State Bar Associations.
He also served as
- Editor of the Irish Law Reports.
- Essex County Prosecutor, 1959–1968.
- Vice President of the National District Attorneys Association, 1968.
- President of the New Jersey Board of Public UtilitiesNew Jersey Board of Public UtilitiesThe New Jersey Board of Public Utilities is a regulatory authority in New Jersey charged with the responsibility of seeing that "safe, adequate, and proper utility services are provided at reasonable rates for customers in New Jersey." The NJBPU regulates natural gas, electricity, water,...
, 1968–1970. - New Jersey Superior CourtNew Jersey Superior CourtThe Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with state-wide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The Superior Court has three divisions: the Appellate Division is essentially an intermediate appellate court while the Law and Chancery Divisions function as trial courts...
Judge, 1970–1973. - Court Assignment Judge, 1973.
- Governor of the State of New Jersey, 1974–1982.
- Trustee of Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, 1974–1982. - Chairman of the Princeton University Council on New Jersey Affairs, 1985–1989.
- First Chair of the U.S. Marshalls Foundation.
- Member of the Advisory Board, National Judicial College.
- And as a member of the Board of Directors of the
- Chelsea GA Carvel Foundation
- Elizabethtown Water Company
- Prudential Insurance Company
- Cali Realty Company.
Legacy
In 2006, the Rutgers Program on the Governor of the Eagleton Institute of PoliticsEagleton Institute of Politics
The Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University was established in 1956 with an endowment from Florence Peshine Eagleton , and it focuses on state and national politics through education, and public service.-Background:...
established the Brendan 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.
The Brendan T. Byrne State Forest
Brendan T. Byrne State Forest
The Brendan T. Byrne State Forest is a 34,725 acre area in the New Jersey Pine Barrens in Burlington and Ocean Counties, New Jersey.-Description:...
(formerly Lebanon State Forest) is named for him. The Brendan T. Byrne Arena in the Meadowlands Sports Complex
Meadowlands Sports Complex
The MetLife Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in East Rutherford, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority...
in East Rutherford
East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
was also named for him, although it was renamed the Continental Airlines Arena in 1996, and then the Izod Center in 2007.
Byrne's son, Tom Byrne, was the New Jersey Democratic State Committee
New Jersey Democratic State Committee
The New Jersey Democratic State Committee is the New Jersey state affiliate of the United States Democratic Party.New Jersey Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski is the Chairman and Camden Mayor Dana Redd is the Vice-Chairwoman. They were elected on January 27, 2010.-Party structure:The NJDSC is the...
chair in the 1990s and was a prospective candidate for the U.S. Senate race in 2000, before withdrawing in favor of eventual winner Jon Corzine
Jon Corzine
Jon Stevens Corzine is the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and of MF Global, and a one time American politician, who served as the 54th Governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. A Democrat, Corzine served five years of a six-year U.S. Senate term representing New Jersey before being elected Governor...
, who later became governor
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
.
In 2011, Byrne was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame
New Jersey Hall of Fame
The New Jersey Hall of Fame is an organization that honors individuals from the U.S. state of New Jersey who have made contributions to society and the world beyond....
.
External links
- New Jersey Governor Brendan Thomas Byrne, National Governors AssociationNational Governors AssociationThe National Governors Association , founded in 1908 as the National Governors' Conference, is funded primarily by state dues, federal grants and contracts and private contributions. NGA represents the governors of the fifty U.S. states and five U.S. territories The National Governors Association...
- Rutgers Program on the Governor, the Brendan Byrne Archive