Brendan Byrne
| Brendan Byrne | |
|---|---|
Byrne in 2011
|
|
| 47th Governor of New Jersey | |
|
In office January 15, 1974 – January 19, 1982 |
|
| Preceded by | William Cahill |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Kean |
| Essex County Prosecutor | |
|
In office February 16, 1959 – January 11, 1968 |
|
| Preceded by | Charles V. Webb |
| Succeeded by | Joseph P. Lordi |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 1, 1924 West Orange, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) |
Jean Featherly (1953–1993; divorced) Ruthi Zinn (1994–present) |
| Children | 7 |
| Alma mater |
Princeton University Harvard Law School |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch |
 U.S. Army Air Forces
|
| Years of service | 1943–45 |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant
|
Brendan Thomas Byrne (born April 1, 1924) is an American Democratic Party politician who served for two terms as the 47th Governor of New Jersey from 1974 to 1982. Elected in the wave of anti-Republican backlash arising from the Watergate scandal, he ushered in a period of reform of the state government and tax structure.
Byrne was born and raised in West Orange, New Jersey. He is the fourth of Francis A. Byrne (1888–1973) and Genevieve (Brennan) Byrne's five children.
In 1942, Byrne graduated from West Orange High School, where he had served as both the president of the debate club and senior class president. He briefly enrolled at Seton Hall University, only to leave in March the following year to join the U.S. Army. During World War II, Byrne served in the U.S. Army Air Corps, receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross and four Air Medals. By the time of his discharge from active service in 1945, he had achieved the rank of lieutenant.
After the war, and thanks to the G.I. Bill, Byrne attended Princeton University for two years, where he majored in Public and International Affairs. Due to the war, he spent only two years on campus, finishing his undergraduate thesis while enrolled at Harvard Law School. He graduated from Princeton in 1949, and went on to obtain his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1951.
On June 27, 1953, he married Jean Featherly, with whom he had seven children. Jean and Brendan Byrne divorced in 1993. Byrne married his second wife, Ruth Zinn, in 1994. Former First Lady of New Jersey Jean Byrne died in 2015.
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