Joseph A. Maressa
| Joseph A. Maressa Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New Jersey Senate from the Legislative District 3B |
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In office January 11, 1972 – January 8, 1974 |
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| Preceded by | Hugh A. Kelly |
| Succeeded by | District dissolved |
| Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 4th Legislative District |
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In office January 8, 1974 – January 12, 1982 |
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| Preceded by | District created |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Dalton |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 17, 1923 Camden, New Jersey |
| Died | October 30, 2012 (aged 89) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Josephine Tomassone (d. 1979) |
| Children | one daughter; three sons |
| Residence | Waterford Township, New Jersey |
| Alma mater |
Temple University (1947) Rutgers School of Law–Camden (1952) |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Joseph A. Maressa, Sr. (October 17, 1923 – October 30, 2012) was an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician who was elected to serve three terms in the New Jersey Senate, representing Legislative District 3B for his first two years and the 4th Legislative District for the remainder of his service in elected office. First elected to office in 1972, Maressa decided against running for office for a fourth term in 1982 after accepting a bribe to aid an Arab sheikh from an undercover FBI agent acting as part of the Abscam sting operation, though Maressa claimed that he had accepted the $10,000 as part of his patriotic efforts as an American to bring oil money back to the United States.
Born in Camden, New Jersey on October 17, 1923, Maressa was one of eight children born to parents who had emigrated to the United States from Sicily. He graduated from Camden High School in 1942 and enlisted with the United States Navy during World War II, with which he served in the Pacific Theater of Operations on deep sea mine disposal and was commissioned as a lieutenant. He received his bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Temple University in 1947. Unsuccessful in his aspirations to become an agent with the FBI, Maressa became a trooper with the New Jersey State Police. In 1952, Maressa received his law degree from Rutgers School of Law–Camden, having attended night school. He began the practice of law in Berlin, New Jersey, with a specialization in local government law, working for municipalities and local boards of education.
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