Richard Codey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Codey
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Codey in 2011
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| 53rd Governor of New Jersey | |
| In office November 15, 2004 – January 17, 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Jim McGreevey |
| Succeeded by | Jon Corzine |
| In office January 12, 2002 – January 15, 2002 Acting |
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| Preceded by | John O. Bennett (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Jim McGreevey |
| Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 27th district |
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| In office January 10, 1982 – January 9, 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Carmen A. Orechio |
| Succeeded by | John F. McKeon |
| 111th and 113th President of the New Jersey Senate | |
| In office January 8, 2008 – January 12, 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Bernard Kenny |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Sweeney |
| In office January 8, 2002 – January 7, 2008 Co-Presidency with John Bennett until January 13, 2004 |
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| Preceded by | Donald DiFrancesco |
| Succeeded by | Bernard Kenny |
| Minority Leader of the New Jersey Senate | |
| In office January 13, 1998 – January 8, 2002 |
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| Preceded by | John A. Lynch Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Leonard Lance (2004) |
| Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 26th district |
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| In office January 8, 1974 – January 12, 1982 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Leanna Brown Dean Gallo |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Richard James Codey
November 27, 1946 Orange, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Mary Rolli
(m. 1981) |
| Education | Fairleigh Dickinson University (BA) |
Richard James Codey (born November 27, 1946) is an American politician. He served as the 53rd governor of New Jersey from 2004 to 2006. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Codey was a member of the New Jersey Senate from 1982 to 2024. He was also the President of the Senate from 2002 to 2010. He represented the 27th Legislative District. This area covers parts of Essex County and Morris County. Richard Codey is the longest-serving state legislator in New Jersey history. He served in the New Jersey Legislature for 50 years!
Contents
Early Life and Growing Up
Richard Codey grew up in Orange. His family owned a funeral home. He went to Our Lady of the Valley High School and Orange High School. He later graduated from Oratory Preparatory School in Summit.
After school, he became a licensed funeral director, just like his father. When his father became the county coroner, Richard helped with difficult tasks. He once said, "I was 14, taking bodies out of train wrecks. You grow up quick." Codey has also shared that he is "100% Irish".
Starting in Politics
In 1973, Richard Codey decided to enter politics. He was first elected to the State Assembly. He served in the Assembly from 1974 to 1982. In 1981, he earned a college degree in education from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Serving in the State Senate
Codey was elected to the State Senate in 1981. He became the Senate President, a very important leadership role, from 2002 to 2010. He also served on the Legislative Services Commission. There is even a hockey arena named after him, the South Mountain Arena, in West Orange, New Jersey.
Returning to the Senate
Instead of running for a full term as governor, Codey chose to run for the New Jersey Senate again in 2007. He continued to represent the 27th Legislative District. He worked alongside Assemblyman John F. McKeon. McKeon was also the mayor of West Orange, where Codey's family grew up. Codey and his family lived in West Orange until 2009. They then moved to nearby Roseland.
In January 2008, Codey briefly stepped down as Senate President for one day. This allowed retiring Senator Bernard Kenny to serve as Senate President on his last day. Codey was then re-elected to the Senate Presidency the very next day.
Senate Committees
During his time in the Senate, Richard Codey served on several important committees:
- Legislative Oversight (as Chair)
- Environment and Energy
- Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens
Representing District 27
New Jersey has 40 legislative districts. Each district has one State Senator and two members in the State Assembly. For the 2022—23 Legislative Session, the representatives from the 27th District were:
- Senator Richard Codey (Democratic Party)
- Assemblyman John F. McKeon (Democratic Party)
- Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (Democratic Party)
Governor of New Jersey
Short Term as Acting Governor (2002)
After Governor Christine Todd Whitman resigned in 2001, New Jersey had several acting governors. Richard Codey was one of them. He served as acting governor for three days, from January 12 to January 15, 2002. This was a very unusual time for the state's leadership.
Serving as Governor (2004-2006)
Codey became acting governor again when Governor Jim McGreevey resigned on November 15, 2004. At that time, if the governor's office became empty, the President of the State Senate would become the acting governor.
Codey became quite popular with New Jersey residents during this time. He thought about running for a full four-year term as governor. However, U.S. Senator Jon Corzine had many supporters and a lot of campaign money. Because of this, Codey decided not to run. He served as governor until Corzine was sworn in on January 17, 2006.
On January 9, 2006, Codey officially became "Governor of the State of New Jersey." This happened because he signed a new law. The law said that anyone who served as acting governor for at least 180 days would be recognized as a full governor. This made Codey the 53rd Governor of New Jersey.
Key Actions as Governor
As governor, Richard Codey was a strong supporter of mental health awareness. He believed mental health care should be included in health plans. Both Codey and his wife, Mary Jo, have openly talked about her past struggles with postpartum depression.
Codey also worked to improve government. He appointed Mary Jane Cooper as New Jersey's first Inspector General. This role was created to find and stop waste in government. He also signed a law to prevent "pay-to-play" practices. This law banned campaign donations from businesses that had state contracts.
Some of his other achievements as governor include:
- Banning smoking in indoor public places.
- Increasing funding for stem cell research.
- Adding more money for mental health programs.
- Creating a task force to fight steroid abuse in high school and college sports.
- Helping to negotiate the building of MetLife Stadium.
Codey also held a public vote for a new state slogan. The winning slogan was: "New Jersey: Come See for Yourself."
Before leaving office, Codey signed a law to pause capital punishment (the death penalty) in New Jersey. His successor, Jon Corzine, later made this ban permanent.
Acting Governor Again (2007)
On April 12, 2007, Codey became Acting Governor of New Jersey once more. This was because Governor Corzine was seriously injured in a car accident. Codey served as acting governor until Corzine returned to his duties on May 7, 2007.
Codey's Cabinet
During his time as governor, Richard Codey worked with many people in his cabinet. These are some of the key people who helped him lead the state:
- Virginia Bauer, Secretary of Commerce, Economic Growth and Tourism
- Donald Bryan, Acting Commissioner of Banking and Insurance
- Bradley Campbell, Commissioner of Environmental Protection
- James Davy, Commissioner of Human Services
- Lucille Davy, Acting Commissioner of Education
- Peter C. Harvey, State Attorney General
- Dr. Fred Jacobs, Commissioner of Health and Senior Services
- John Lettiere, Commissioner of Transportation
- John McCormac, State Treasurer
- Regena Thomas, Secretary of State of New Jersey
Images for kids
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Codey in 2011
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Codey's wife and former New Jersey First Lady, Mary Jo Codey
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Codey in October 2008
