Alfred C. Clapp

Alfred C. Clapp
New Jersey State Senator
In office
January 1948 – May 1953
Preceded by Roy V. Wright
Succeeded by Mark Anton
New Jersey Superior Court Judge
In office
May 1953 – December 1957
Personal details
Born Alfred Chapin Clapp
(1903-06-08)June 8, 1903
East Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
Died May 23, 1988(1988-05-23) (aged 84)
East Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Catharine Shotwell Clapp (1903-1993)
Residence Montclair, New Jersey
Alma mater University of Vermont, Harvard Law School
Occupation Lawyer
Religion Presbyterian

Alfred Chapin Clapp (June 8, 1903 – May 23, 1988) was an American Republican Party politician and jurist who served in the New Jersey State Senate and as Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court.

Early life

Clapp was born on June 8, 1903 in East Orange, New Jersey. His parents were Alfred Chapin Clapp and Anna Roth Clapp. He graduated from the University of Vermont in 1923 and from Harvard Law School in 1927. He served as Counsel to the New Jersey Legislature for the drafting of the 1944 State Constitution, and was a delegate to the New Jersey Constitutional Conventions in 1947 and 1966. From 1944 to 1953, and again from 1970 to 198, he was an Editor of the New Jersey Law Journal.[1]

New Jersey State Senator

Following the retirement of two-term State Senator Roy V. Wright in 1947, Clapp became a candidate for the State Senate. He was re-elected to a second term in 1951.

Candidate for Governor of New Jersey

In 1953, with Governor Alfred Driscoll term-limited, Clapp sought the Republican nomination for Governor of New Jersey in 1953. He secured the organization lines in Essex and Bergen counties, but dropped out of the race on February 28, 1953.[2]

Superior Court Judge

Clapp resigned from the Senate in 1953 after Governor Driscoll nominated him to serve as a Superior Court Judge. He was the Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division. He resigned from the bench in 1957.[3]

Candidate for State Senator

In 1959, Clapp again sought election to the State Senate. Essex County Republicans were divided into two factions; Clapp led a slate of reform candidates opposed to the Essex County Republican Chairman, William Yeomans. Clapp defeated Essex County Prosecutor Charles V. Webb, Jr. in the Republican primary, 31,551 (72%) to 12,177 (28%). Clapp's "Clean Government" slate of 12 Assembly candidates all won the primary against the organization ticket. His landslide victory in the 1959 primary paved the way for former Congressman Robert W. Kean to oust Yeomans in a race for Essex County Republican Chairman one week later.[4] Among the political newcomers who ran on the Clapp ticket was C. Robert Sarcone.

Unable to unify the Republican Party after the primary, Clapp was unable to unseat Democratic incumbent Donal C. Fox. He lost by 14,582 votes, 126,800 (51.11%) to 112,218 (45.23%).[5]

Legal Scholar

Clapp was the Dean of the Rutgers University School of Law from 1951 to 1953, and also served as Essex County Bar Association president. He was the author of a seven-volume work, Wills and Administration in New Jersey, and the chairman of the New Jersey Supreme Court Civil Practice Committee from 1947 to 1987.[6] On and off between 1929 and 1971, Clapp was a Law Professor at the Mercer Beasley School of Law and the Rutgers Law School. He was Chairman of the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education from 1962 to 1986.[7]

Later Years

Clapp founded a law firm, Clapp & Eisenberg, in Newark, New Jersey. In 1977, he served as Chairman of Thomas Kean's campaign for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.[8]

He was married to Catharine Shotwell Clapp. They had four sons and seven grandchildren.

Clapp died in 1988 at age 84.

References

  1. ↑ Cook, Joan (25 May 1988). "Alfred C. Clapp, 84; Former Jersey Judge Led Kean Campaign". New York Times. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  2. ↑ "Clapp Out of Jersey Race". New York Times. 28 February 1953.
  3. ↑ "New Jersey Judge Resigns". New York Times. 5 December 1958.
  4. ↑ Wright, George Cable. "REGULAR SWEEP G.O.P. ESSEX VOTE; Clapp Is Victorious -- Other Party Organization Slates Win -- Balloting Is Light". New York Times.
  5. ↑ "Our Campaigns". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  6. ↑ Cook, Joan (25 May 1988). "Alfred C. Clapp, 84; Former Jersey Judge Led Kean Campaign". New York Times. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  7. ↑ Cook, Joan (25 May 1988). "Alfred C. Clapp, 84; Former Jersey Judge Led Kean Campaign". New York Times. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  8. ↑ Cook, Joan (25 May 1988). "Alfred C. Clapp, 84; Former Jersey Judge Led Kean Campaign". New York Times. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
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