Overview
- The family announced his death on his official Facebook page and said funeral and memorial details will be shared in the coming days, as officials across the state posted tributes.
- He served as acting governor from November 15, 2004, to January 17, 2006, stepping in after Jim McGreevey resigned under succession rules then in effect.
- He also briefly served as acting governor in 2002 after Christine Todd Whitman’s departure and again in 2007 while Jon Corzine recovered from a car accident.
- Across five decades representing an Essex County–based district, he served in the Assembly starting in 1974 and in the Senate from 1982 to 2024, the longest combined legislative tenure in state history.
- His policy legacy featured advocacy for mental health, a workplace indoor smoking ban, limits on pay-to-play public contracts, and support for stem cell research.