Robert Torricelli
Encyclopedia
Robert Guy Torricelli nickname
d "the Torch," is an American politician
from the U.S. state
of New Jersey
. Torricelli, a Democrat
, served 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives
before being elected to the U.S. Senate
. He served a single term in the Senate and decided not to run for reelection after a campaign finance
scandal involving contributions by David Chang, an imprisoned Korean businessman.
in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, Torricelli attended Rutgers University
both for undergraduate and law school, receiving his Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1974 and his law degree
in 1977. He was admitted to the New Jersey bar
in 1978 and later attended Harvard University
's John F. Kennedy School of Government
, earning a Master of Public Administration
in 1980.
Torricelli was married to Susan Holloway, from whom he is now divorced. He reportedly has since dated Mick Jagger
's former wife Bianca Jagger
, conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham
, and U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell
.
Torricelli is Italian American
on his father's side. He was raised as a Methodist.
Brendan Byrne
from 1975 to 1977. In 1978 he served on the Staff of Vice President
Walter Mondale
, and managed the Carter-Mondale campaign in the Illinois
primary, at the age of 28. At the 1980 Democratic National Convention
, he served the Carter
-Mondale
campaign on the Rules Committee. In 1982, Torricelli leveraged his political contacts into a run for US Congress, defeating incumbent Republican
Harold Hollenbeck 53% to 46%.
Torricelli served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 1996 representing the New Jersey's 9th
Congressional District
, and then as a U.S. Senator from 1997 to 2003.
to obtain the seat vacated by the retirement of Democratic Senator Bill Bradley
.
In 2000, he headed the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
and helped the Democrats gain four Senate seats.
Late in an increasingly competitive race
against Republican Doug Forrester
, Torricelli suddenly withdrew after disclosure of undeniably illegal contributions to his campaign by David Chang, a businessman connected to North Korea
. Torricelli had previously denied this and a number of other charges, and in his withdrawal speech stated that despite his leaving public office in a different way than he planned, he was proud of his service. Shortly thereafter, the New Jersey Supreme Court
tossed out the longstanding State election law and unanimously ruled that the Democratic Party could legally replace Torricelli's name on the ballot with that of former U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg
, ironically a longtime Torricelli nemesis, with whom he had often publicly feuded. New Jersey Republicans had contested the Torricelli-Lautenberg swap on the grounds that the deadline for ballot changes had long passed. It seemed apparent to many that Torricelli had only made his decision after local polls showed, for the first time, that the scandal had damaged Torricelli's re-election chances beyond repair.
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
d "the Torch," is an American politician
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
from the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
. Torricelli, a Democrat
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...
, served 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
before being elected to the U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. He served a single term in the Senate and decided not to run for reelection after a campaign finance
Campaign finance
Campaign finance refers to all funds that are raised and spent in order to promote candidates, parties or policies in some sort of electoral contest. In modern democracies such funds are not necessarily devoted to election campaigns. Issue campaigns in referendums, party activities and party...
scandal involving contributions by David Chang, an imprisoned Korean businessman.
Education and personal life
After graduation from Storm King SchoolStorm King School
Established as the Cornwall Heights School in 1867 by Louis P. Ledoux, an Amherst graduate and pastor of the Cornwall Presbyterian Church, the school was later known as the Stone School during the time it was directed by Dr. Carlos H. Stone. In 1923, during the tenure of Headmaster Alvan P...
in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, Torricelli attended 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...
both for undergraduate and law school, receiving his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1974 and his law degree
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
in 1977. He was admitted to the New Jersey bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
in 1978 and later attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
's John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
, earning a Master of Public Administration
Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration is a professional post-graduate degree in Public Administration. The MPA program prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly in nongovernmental organization and...
in 1980.
Torricelli was married to Susan Holloway, from whom he is now divorced. He reportedly has since dated Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
's former wife Bianca Jagger
Bianca Jagger
Bianca Jagger is a Nicaraguan-born social and human rights advocate and a former actress and model...
, conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham
Laura Ingraham
Laura Anne Ingraham is an American radio host, author, and conservative political commentator. Her nationally syndicated talk show, The Laura Ingraham Show, airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network...
, and U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell
Maria Cantwell
Maria E. Cantwell is the junior United States Senator from the state of Washington and a member of the Democratic Party....
.
Torricelli is Italian American
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
on his father's side. He was raised as a Methodist.
Early political career
Torricelli was an assistant to the Governor of New JerseyGovernor 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...
Brendan Byrne
Brendan Byrne
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.-Early life and education:...
from 1975 to 1977. In 1978 he served on the Staff of Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Walter Mondale
Walter Mondale
Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States , under President Jimmy Carter, and as a United States Senator for Minnesota...
, and managed the Carter-Mondale campaign in the Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
primary, at the age of 28. At the 1980 Democratic National Convention
1980 Democratic National Convention
The 1980 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party nominated President Jimmy Carter for President and Vice President Walter Mondale for Vice President...
, he served the Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
-Mondale
Walter Mondale
Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States , under President Jimmy Carter, and as a United States Senator for Minnesota...
campaign on the Rules Committee. In 1982, Torricelli leveraged his political contacts into a run for US Congress, defeating incumbent Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Harold Hollenbeck 53% to 46%.
Torricelli served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 1996 representing the New Jersey's 9th
New Jersey's 9th congressional district
New Jersey's Ninth Congressional District is currently represented by Democrat Steve Rothman.-Counties and municipalities in the district:For the 108th and successive Congresses , the district contains all or portions of three counties and 37 municipalities:Bergen County:Hudson CountyPassaic...
Congressional District
Congressional district
A congressional district is “a geographical division of a state from which one member of the House of Representatives is elected.”Congressional Districts are made up of three main components, a representative, constituents, and the specific land area that both the representative and the...
, and then as a U.S. Senator from 1997 to 2003.
Senate career
He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996, defeating Republican Congressman Dick ZimmerDick Zimmer (New Jersey politician)
Richard Alan "Dick" Zimmer is an American Republican Party politician from New Jersey, who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature and in the United States House of Representatives. He was the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate from New Jersey in 1996 and 2008...
to obtain the seat vacated by the retirement of Democratic Senator Bill Bradley
Bill Bradley
William Warren "Bill" Bradley is an American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, and former three-term Democratic U.S. Senator from New Jersey. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic Party's nomination for President in the 2000 election.Bradley was born and raised in a suburb of St....
.
In 2000, he headed the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States Senate. It is the only organization solely dedicated to electing Democrats to the United States Senate. The DSCC's current chair is Sen. Patty Murray, who succeeded Sen. Robert Menendez following...
and helped the Democrats gain four Senate seats.
Late in an increasingly competitive race
United States Senate election in New Jersey, 2002
The 2000 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli decided to retire. Democrat Frank Lautenberg won the open seat.- Campaign :...
against Republican Doug Forrester
Doug Forrester
Douglas Forrester is an American businessman in New Jersey. He was the 2002 Republican nominee for New Jersey U.S. Senator and the 2005 Republican nominee for Governor of New Jersey. Forrester was defeated by his two Democratic opponents, Frank Lautenberg and then-U.S. Senator Jon Corzine,...
, Torricelli suddenly withdrew after disclosure of undeniably illegal contributions to his campaign by David Chang, a businessman connected to North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. Torricelli had previously denied this and a number of other charges, and in his withdrawal speech stated that despite his leaving public office in a different way than he planned, he was proud of his service. Shortly thereafter, the New Jersey Supreme Court
New Jersey Supreme Court
The New Jersey Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It has existed in three different forms under the three different state constitutions since the independence of the state in 1776...
tossed out the longstanding State election law and unanimously ruled that the Democratic Party could legally replace Torricelli's name on the ballot with that of former U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg
Frank Lautenberg
Frank Raleigh Lautenberg is the senior United States Senator from New Jersey and a member of the Democratic Party. Previously, he was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Automatic Data Processing, Inc.-Early life, career, and family:...
, ironically a longtime Torricelli nemesis, with whom he had often publicly feuded. New Jersey Republicans had contested the Torricelli-Lautenberg swap on the grounds that the deadline for ballot changes had long passed. It seemed apparent to many that Torricelli had only made his decision after local polls showed, for the first time, that the scandal had damaged Torricelli's re-election chances beyond repair.