James Florio

James Florio

James Joseph Florio (born August 29, 1937 in Brooklyn , New York City ) is an American politician . He was governor of the state of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994 . Between 1975 and 1990 he also represented his state in the US House of Representatives .

Early years

James Florio attended public schools in his home country. Between 1955 and 1958 he served as an officer in the US Navy , in whose reserve he remained until 1975. He then attended Trenton State College in 1962 , which became what is now the College of New Jersey . James Florio continued his education at Columbia University and Rutgers University , where he studied law until 1967. After his admission to the bar, he began working in his new profession in Camden . From 1967 to 1971 he also worked as a lawyer for this city. Between 1969 and 1974 he was also an attorney for three smaller New Jersey communities.

Political rise

Florio became a member of the Democratic Party . From 1969 to 1974 he was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly . Between January 3, 1975 and January 16, 1990 he represented his state as a member of Congress . In 1977 and 1981 he ran unsuccessfully for the office of governor of New Jersey.

In Congress, he introduced the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act . This law and the resulting Superfund program were designed to cleanse and cleanse the most polluted areas of the United States. He also successfully advocated that the Congress no longer had to approve any foreign participation or takeover of an American industrial group. In 1989 he was elected as a candidate of his party for governor of his state at the third attempt. For this reason, he stepped down from the House of Representatives.

Governor of New Jersey

James Florio took up his new position on January 16, 1990. During his four-year term in office, he campaigned for a tax increase, contrary to his election promise. With this and by cutting 1,500 positions in the public service, he was able to balance the budget and support the public schools. He tightened the gun law in relation to semi-automatic weapons. This led to political controversy with the Republican Party and the arms industry. During his tenure, parts of the New Jersey National Guard were also used in the 2nd Gulf War. In 1993, Florio was narrowly defeated by his Republican opponent Christine Todd Whitman .

Another résumé

In 2000 he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the United States Senate . Between 2002 and 2005 he was chairman of the Pineland Commission. Florio was a staunch opponent of President George W. Bush's administration and the Iraq war . In 2008 he supported Hillary Clinton in her campaign for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party. Today he is represented on several supervisory boards.

Web links

Commons : James Florio  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• James Florio in the National Governors Association (English)
• James Florio in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)