| Hugh Joseph Addonizio | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 11th district |
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| In office January 3, 1949 – June 30, 1962 |
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| Preceded by | Frank Sundstrom |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Minish |
| 33rd Mayor of Newark | |
| In office July 1, 1962 – July 1, 1970 |
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| Preceded by | Leo P. Carlin |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth A. Gibson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 31, 1914 Newark, New Jersey |
| Died | February 2, 1981 (aged 67) Red Bank, New Jersey |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | Fordham University |
Hugh Joseph Addonizio (January 31, 1914, in Newark, New Jersey – February 2, 1981, in Red Bank, New Jersey) was an Italian-American Democratic Party politician, who was the 33rd Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, from 1962 to 1970, and a Congressman for 13 years prior to that.
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He graduated from Fordham University in New York City in 1939 and went to work for A&C Clothing Company in Newark where he became vice president in 1946.
During World War II he had served in the United States Army earning the Silver Star. He served in North Africa, Italy and France. Among the first Americans drafted in 1940 a year before Pearl Harbor, he rose from the rank of private and was discharged with the rank of captain and named to the Fort Bennington Infantry Hall of Fame.
In 1948, Addonizio ran for and won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat, representing New Jersey's 11th congressional district. He resigned his seat on June 30, 1962, to run for mayor of Newark. He ran on a reform platform, defeating what he characterized as the corrupt political machine of Leo P. Carlin, who had been mayor since 1953.[1]
Addonizio served as mayor from 1962 until 1970 when he lost his reelection bid. A state investigation into his administration on the heels of the 1967 riots, which occurred during his tenure, led to the discovery that Addonizio and other city officials were taking kickbacks from city contractors. Addonizio was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey and convicted of corruption after leaving office.
Much of the corruption became public when he was convicted, along with five others working in or through his administration, of "literally delivering the city into the hands of organized crime," according to former U.S. District Judge Herbert J. Stern.
His two immediate successors as Mayor were also eventually convicted of corruption-related crimes.
Addonizio was interred in Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover.
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Frank Sundstrom |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 11th congressional district 1949–1962 |
Succeeded by Joseph Minish |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Leo P. Carlin |
Mayor of Newark 1962–1970 |
Succeeded by Kenneth A. Gibson |
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