New Jersey’s longest serving state legislator and former governor Richard Codey dies
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, the former lieutenant governor of New Jersey and the longest-serving legislator in the state’s history, died Sunday. He was 79 years old.
Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to the Associated Press.
“Governor Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at his home surrounded by his family following a brief illness,” Codey’s family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey’s official page.
“Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather, and New Jersey has lost an extraordinary public servant who touched the lives of everyone who knew him,” the family said. he said.
Known for his feisty, everyman guy personality, Codey was a staunch advocate for mental health awareness and care. The Democrat also defended legislation banning indoor smoking and called for more money for stem cell research.
The son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, Codey entered the State Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the State Senate in 1982. He served as president of the Senate from 2002 to 2010.
Codey first served briefly as lieutenant governor in 2002 after Christine Todd Whitman resigned to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the position again for 14 months after Governor Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.
New Jersey law at the time required that in the event of a vacancy, the Senate president would assume the role of governor and that person would serve until the next election.
Codey routinely received strong praise from residents in polls and seriously considered seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders chose to support wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.
Codey would become lieutenant governor again after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 from serious injuries sustained in a car accident. Corzine remained in office for about a month before resuming his duties.
After leaving the governorship, Codey returned to the Senate and published a memoir detailing his decades of public service as well as stories about his personal and family life.
“He lived his life with humility, compassion, and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as with strangers at all-night restaurants.”
Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about their past struggles with postpartum depression, which sparked controversy in early 2005 when a radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on air.
Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and told him he wished he could “take her out.” However, the host claimed Codey had actually threatened to “take him out”, which Codey denied.
Her wife told The Associated Press that she was willing to support Codey speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost her elected office.
“He was a really good man,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do this, I don’t care if I get re-elected.’”
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Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.
