Jim McGreevey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jim McGreevey
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McGreevey in 2009
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52nd Governor of New Jersey | |
In office January 15, 2002 – November 15, 2004 |
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Preceded by | Richard Codey (acting) |
Succeeded by | Richard Codey |
19th Mayor of Woodbridge Township | |
In office January 1, 1992 – January 15, 2002 |
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Preceded by | Joseph DeMarino |
Succeeded by | Frank Pelzman |
Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 19th district |
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In office January 11, 1994 – January 13, 1998 |
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Preceded by | Randy Corman |
Succeeded by | Joe Vitale |
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 19th district |
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In office January 9, 1990 – January 14, 1992 Serving with George Otlowski
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Preceded by | Alan Karcher |
Succeeded by | Stephen A. Mikulak Ernest L. Oros |
Personal details | |
Born |
James Edward McGreevey
August 6, 1957 Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouses |
Kari Schutz
(m. 1991; div. 1997)Dina Matos
(m. 2000; div. 2008) |
Domestic partner | Mark O'Donnell (2005–present) |
Children | 2 |
Education | Catholic University Columbia University (BA) Georgetown University (JD) Harvard University (MEd) General Theological Seminary (MDiv) |
James Edward McGreevey (born August 6, 1957) is an American politician who served as the 52nd governor of New Jersey from 2002 until his resignation in 2004.
McGreevey served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1990 to 1992, as the 19th mayor of Woodbridge Township from 1991 to 2002, and in the New Jersey Senate from 1994 to 1998. He was the Democratic nominee for Governor of New Jersey in 1997, but was narrowly defeated by Republican incumbent Christine Todd Whitman. He ran for governor again in 2001 and was elected by a large margin.
During his gubernatorial tenure, McGreevey—who was then married to Dina Matos—appointed Israeli national Golan Cipel as Counselor to the Governor, advising on homeland security.
In 2006, following his departure from public office, McGreevey published a memoir entitled The Confession. He later pursued ordination in the Episcopal Church and obtained a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree from General Theological Seminary in New York City; however, the Episcopal Church declined to ordain him. In July 2013, McGreevey was appointed head of Jersey City's Employment & Training Program (JCETP). He served in that capacity until his 2019 termination.
McGreevey serves as Executive Director of the New Jersey Reentry Corporation, which provides over 20,000 court-involved individuals with comprehensive reentry services. NJRC was formed in 2014 during the Christie Administration.
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Early life and education
McGreevey was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of Veronica, a nurse, and Jack McGreevey, a Marine drill instructor who served in World War II and the Korean War. His family was Irish Catholic, and he grew up in nearby Carteret. There he attended St. Joseph Elementary School, and St. Joseph High School in Metuchen. He attended The Catholic University of America before graduating from Columbia University in 1978. He earned a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1981 and a master's degree in education from Harvard University in 1982. He also attended a summer diploma program in law at the London School of Economics.
Career
Prior to entering politics, McGreevey was an assistant prosecutor and executive director of the state Parole Board. McGreevey has taught ethics, law and leadership at Kean University in Union, New Jersey.
McGreevey was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly, representing the 19th Legislative District from 1990 to 1992, when he became Mayor of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. He was re-elected mayor in 1995 and 1999. He was elected to the New Jersey Senate in 1993, simultaneously serving as mayor during the four-year Senate term.
Governorship of New Jersey
McGreevey first ran for governor in 1997, but was defeated in a close race (47% to 46%) by the incumbent Republican Christine Todd Whitman. Libertarian candidate Murray Sabrin received slightly over 5% of the vote. McGreevey ran for the governorship again in 2001 and won with 56% of the vote, making him the first majority-elected governor since James Florio. His Republican opponent in that race was Bret Schundler. Other candidates in the race included William E. Schluter (Independent), Jerry Coleman (Green), Mark Edgerton (Libertarian), Michael Koontz (Conservative), Costantino Rozzo (Socialist) and Kari Sachs (Socialist Workers).
After being elected to the governorship by a large margin on November 6, 2001, McGreevey inherited a US$5 billion budget deficit. During his term, McGreevey raised the tax on cigarettes and increased the state income tax for the wealthy.
Among McGreevey's accomplishments were auto insurance reform, restructuring the Division of Motor Vehicles to the Motor Vehicle Commission, signing the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act into law, implementing a stem cell research plan for New Jersey, heavily lobbying for the state's first domestic partnership law for same-sex couples and signing such a law in early 2004.
McGreevey resigned on November 15, 2004.
Post-gubernatorial activities
Memoir
In September 2006, McGreevey published a memoir, written with assistance from David France as ghostwriter. The memoir was titled The Confession. McGreevey appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show on September 19, 2006, to discuss and promote the book. It was the start of a two-month promotion of his memoir.
Divinity studies and community-building
McGreevey and his partner Mark O'Donnell regularly attended Saint Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in New York, in addition to a local parish in New Jersey. At St. Bartholomew's, McGreevey was received into the Episcopal Church on Sunday, April 29, 2007. He was accepted to General Theological Seminary, from which he received the degree of Master of Divinity, a prerequisite to becoming an Episcopal priest. In 2009, McGreevey told The New York Times that he volunteered for Exodus Ministries, where he performed service to former prisoners seeking rehabilitation at the Church of Living Hope in Harlem, New York. On November 16, 2009, WCBS-TV reported that McGreevey was continuing his training at All Saints Episcopal Church in Hoboken. An April 2011 report indicated that McGreevey's bid for ordination had been rejected.
McGreevey's life after politics, his pursuit of the priesthood, and his ministry to prison inmates are covered in a 2013 HBO documentary film, Fall to Grace, directed by Alexandra Pelosi.
After years as an Episcopalian, McGreevey rejoined the Catholic Church; as of 2023, he regularly attended Mass at the Christ the King Catholic Church in Jersey City.
Jersey City Employment & Training Program
In July 2013, McGreevey was appointed executive director of Jersey City's Employment & Training Program (JCETP). The program, which provides re-entry coaching for those released from prison, along with other services, such as job opportunities and training, is based at The Hub in the city's Jackson Hill neighborhood. Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop stated that McGreevey was "a valuable asset" to have in this position.
Among those at the September 2014 opening of the facility called Martin's Place (located on the major street of Martin Luther King Drive) were Brendan Byrne, Tom Kean, Steve Fulop, Chris Christie, Robert Menendez, Nancy Pelosi and Cornell William Brooks. The prisoner re-entry program, funded by the New Jersey Parole Board with a $4.2 million grant, is located in Sacred Heart Church, also in the neighborhood.
In January 2019, the board of the JCETP voted to terminate McGreevey's employment. A forensic audit suggested that funds had been inappropriately re-directed to another program, NJ ReEntry. McGreevey claimed that the move was political and asserted that eight independent audits found no wrongdoing.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey, McGreevey sought to place early-release prisoners, many of whom were homeless, in makeshift shelters.
New Jersey Reentry Corporation (NJRC)
New Jersey Reentry Corporation (NJRC) is a non-profit organization that provides critically needed services to persons returning from state prison, county jail, addiction treatment centers, and veterans of the theater of combat. NJRC provides for an effective integrated service delivery model, which is driven by licensed social workers, a biopsychosocial evaluation, and ongoing case management services through our case management system. NJRC has ten locations throughout central and northern New Jersey, as a Community Resource Center and Training Center in Kearny, N.J.
McGreevey serves as Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of NJRC. Through McGreevey's leadership and efforts, NJRC has provided needed services to over 20,000 individuals. According to NJRC data, over 14,000 persons have been enrolled in Medicaid, over 11,000 have been connected to addiction treatment, over 3,600 birth certificates have been obtained, and over 3,400 MVC identifications retrieved.
In 2021, NJRC opened the Governor's Reentry Training and Employment Center, a 25,000 square-foot facility, in Kearny, N.J., which has provided over 3,000 industry-recognized credentials to reentry clients.
Potential return to politics
In October 2015, McGreevey moved from Plainfield to Jersey City, sparking rumors that he might run for mayor. In 2023, with mayor Steven Fulop retiring to run for governor, McGreevey's name was floated among potential candidates to succeed him, with the Union City mayor and State Senator Brian P. Stack endorsing his potential bid. He filed to run for election on October 31, 2023.
Personal life
McGreevey has a daughter from his first marriage (1991–1997) to Canadian Karen Joan Schutz and another daughter from his second marriage to Portuguese-born Dina Matos.
Matos and McGreevey separated in 2005. McGreevey is now in a relationship with an Australian-American executive Mark O'Donnell. The two have been reported to live in Plainfield, New Jersey.
See also
In Spanish: James McGreevey para niños
- List of the first LGBT holders of political offices in the United States