Harold J. Wirths | |
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Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 24th Legislative District | |
Assumed office January 9, 2018 |
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Preceded by | Gail Phoebus |
Personal details | |
Born | April 5, 1965 |
Political party | Republican |
Harold J. "Hal" Wirths (born April 5, 1965) is an American politician who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2018, representing the 24th Legislative District. He previously served as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (2010-2016). Wirths was appointed by Governor Chris Christie in 2010.
Harold J. Wirths is the adopted son of Wallace R. Wirths (1921–2002), a former Westinghouse executive, author, newspaper columnist and radio commentator, who was a benefactor of Upsala College in East Orange, New Jersey (now defunct).
Wirths was a small business owner in Sussex County in northwestern New Jersey, owning and managing furniture stores located near Hamburg, New Jersey. He also helped to establish Noble Community Bank, which today is part of Highlands State Bank, and he served on the Highlands Bank board of directors. Wirths ran for the county's Board of Chosen Freeholders as a Republican and served as a freeholder for nearly a decade from 2000-2010.
Wirths resides in Wantage Township, New Jersey with his wife and two daughters.
After Chris Christie's election as New Jersey's governor, Wirths was nominated to be the state's Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (2010-2016) and was sworn in on May 24, 2010. One of his focuses since becoming commissioner, has been to modernize the state's unemployment insurance benefits system and reducing waste attributed to benefits fraud. He currently serves on the boards of several state government commissions and authorities, including the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, New Jersey State Ethics Commission, New Jersey State Employment and Training Commission, and the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority.