John T. Gregorio

John T. Gregorio, Sr. (February 6, 1928 − October 23, 2013) was an American Democratic Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1976 to 1978 and in the New Jersey Senate from 1978 to 1983. Gregorio represented the 21st Legislative District until 1978, when redistricting following the 1980 United States Census shifted him to the 20th Legislative District. In 1983, following a conviction for failing to disclose his interest in a pair of Linden go bars, he was forced to resign from the State Senate and from his position as Mayor of Linden, New Jersey. After receiving a gubernatorial pardon in January 1990, Gregorio staged a political comeback and won election as mayor of Linden, serving in that position until 2006.

Gregorio was born in Staten Island and moved to Linden in 1949 after serving in the United States Navy. He went into the family trade and opened a floral shop there, which was operated by his wife, Marie. Active in the local Democratic Party organization, he was elected to the Linden City Council in 1964 and became mayor for the first time in 1967. He was elected to the General Assembly, where he served from 1976 to 1978 and then moved up to the State Senate where he was in office starting in 1978 and served as chair of the Senate Labor, Industry, and Professions Committee.

After being convicted of conspiracy for concealing his ownership of two go bars operated by his son, Gregorio was forced to resign in 1983. The jury that convicted him in December 1982 found him not guilty on nine charges, including official misconduct, tax evasion and tampering with official records. Under the terms of his conviction, Gregorio was required to relinquish his mayoral and Senate seats and would be unable to seek elected office. In a June 1983 special election, Raymond Lesniak won the seat Gregorio was forced to vacate.

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