Wayne Dumont
Wayne Dumont Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Member of theNew Jersey Senate | |
| In office 1952–1966 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Meyner |
| Succeeded by | Seat eliminated[a] |
| Constituency | Warren County |
| In office 1968 – July 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Milton Woolfenden Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Robert E. Littell |
| Constituency | 15th district(1967–82) 24th district(1982–90) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 25, 1914 Paterson, New Jersey,U.S. |
| Died | March 19, 1992 (aged 77) Phillipsburg, New Jersey,U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Montclair Academy |
| Alma mater | Lafayette College University of Pennsylvania Law School |
Wayne Dumont, Jr.(June 25, 1914 – March 19, 1992) was an AmericanRepublican Partypolitician fromNew Jersey.He representedWarren Countyin theNew Jersey Senatefrom 1952 to 1966 and northwestern New Jersey more broadly from 1968 until his retirement in 1990. He was the Republican nominee forGovernor of New Jerseyin 1965, losing toRichard J. Hughes.
Early life and education
[edit]Wayne Dumont Jr. was born on June 25, 1914, inPaterson, New Jersey.His father, Wayne Dumont Sr., was a native ofPhillipsburg, New Jersey,and prominent attorney and bank director in Paterson.[1]
Wayne Jr. graduated fromMontclair Academy.While he was attending Montclair, his father died of heart disease.[1]Wayne Jr. then attendedLafayette College,his father's alma mater,[1]inEaston, Pennsylvania.After graduating, he became a minor league pitcher for the formerSt. Louis Brownsbut decided to study law at theUniversity of Pennsylvania Law School.After receiving his law degree, he moved toPhillipsburgin 1940, where he began practicing law.[2][3]
Dumont served inWorld War IIand assisted in the prosecution of Japanese war criminals.[2]
New Jersey Senate
[edit]Dumont was elected in 1951 as a Republican to representWarren Countyin theNew Jersey Senate;he was the first Republican to represent the county in nearly 75 years.[2]
He was re-elected in 1955, 1959 and 1963, during which time he served as Senate Majority Leader, Senate President and ActingGovernor of New Jersey.He was responsible for sponsoring well over 500 bills during his legislative career including the state's first school aid bill and farmland preservation law.[2]
Gubernatorial campaigns
[edit]Dumont ran for Governor of New Jersey three times in 1957, 1961, and 1965.
He narrowly won the Republican nomination in 1965 against fellow State SenatorCharles W. Sandman.Dumont's support of a state sales tax was an issue in the primary campaign, possibly attributing to the narrow margin.[2]In the general election against incumbentGovernorRichard J. Hughes,Dumont lost in a landslide. He made a campaign issue out of the pro-Marxistspeeches ofRutgers UniversityprofessorEugene D. Genovese.
Dumont returned to the State Senate in 1967. In 1976, he was the only Republican to support GovernorBrendan Byrne's call for a state income tax.[2]Despite his opponents focus on the income tax, he was re-elected in 1977.[4]
In 1988, he suffered a stroke, leading him to retire in 1990, before the end of his term.[2]
Personal life
[edit]Dumont married Helen S. Williamson on September 19, 1938. Their sonW. Hunt Dumontserved asUnited States Attorney for the District of New Jerseyfrom 1981 to 1985.[2]
From 1954 to 1960 he served as a member of the board of trustees to his alma mater, Lafayette College.[5]
Death and legacy
[edit]Dumont died at the age of 77 on March 19, 1992, due tocongestive heart failuresuffered at Warren Hospital inPhillipsburg, New Jersey.GovernorJames Florioordered all flags in the state flown at half mast.[2]
The Warren County Administration Building inBelvidere, New Jersey,is named after Dumont.
References
[edit]- ^abc"WAYNE DUMONT, LAWYER, DIES AT 58; Succumbs to Heart Disease at Home in Little Falls, N. J., After Long Illness. ON SEVERAL BANKS' BOARDS Was President of the High Point Park Commission and a Member of Many Clubs.",The New York Times,April 8, 1929. Accessed July 11, 2008.
- ^abcdefghiFisher, Ian (1992-03-21)."Wayne Dumont Jr., 77, Is Dead; Was Dean of New Jersey Senate".The New York Times.
- ^State of New Jersey Executive Order #57 Governor James J. Florio,State ofNew Jersey.Accessed December 3, 2017. "Whereas, Wayne Dumont, Jr., was born in Paterson on June 25, 1914 and was graduated from Montclair Academy, Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania Law School"
- ^Narvaez, Alfonso."Easy Triumph by Governor Helps Democrats Keep Trenton Control",The New York Times,November 9, 1977. Accessed August 18, 2008.
- ^Gendebien, Albert W. (1986).The Biography of a College: A History of Lafayette College 1927 - 1978.Easton, PA: Lafayette College.
- ^After the Supreme Court decisionReynolds v. Sims,the New Jersey Senate was redistricted. Rather than one Senator per county, Warren was combined with Sussex and Morris counties into a two-member district.
External links
[edit]- Executive order memorializing Wayne Dumont,GovernorJames J. Florio,March 20, 1992
- Administrative History of the Teach-ins at Rutgers University,Special Collections and University Archives,Rutgers UniversityLibraries, April 27, 1992
- 1914 births
- 1992 deaths
- Lafayette College alumni
- Montclair Kimberley Academy alumni
- Republican Party New Jersey state senators
- Politicians from Paterson, New Jersey
- People from Phillipsburg, New Jersey
- Presidents of the New Jersey Senate
- University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni
- 20th-century American legislators
- Lafayette College trustees
- 20th-century American academics