Peter Moraites
| Peter Moraites | |
|---|---|
| New Jersey General Assembly | |
|
In office 1962–1966 |
|
| Preceded by | Walter H. Jones (New Jersey politician) |
| Succeeded by | Arnold E. Brown |
| New Jersey General Assembly | |
|
In office 1968–1971 |
|
| Preceded by | Arnold E. Brown |
| Succeeded by | Edward H. Hynes |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Peter Moraites June 8, 1922 North Carolina |
| Died | January 7, 2014 (aged 91) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Moraites |
| Alma mater | St. John's College |
Peter Moraites (June 8, 1922 – January 7, 2014; pronounced mo-RAY-tees) was an American Republican Party politician who served as Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly in 1969.
Moraites was born June 8, 1922, in North Carolina. He was a graduate of St. John's College and St. John's University School of Law. He served as a Secretary to Congressman Jacob K. Javits (R-New York); after Javits was elected Attorney General of New York in 1954, Moraites became his Special Assistant. He later served as an assistant to Congressman Frank C. Osmers, Jr. (R-New Jersey). In the 1950s, before moving to New Jersey, he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the New York State Senate.
Moraites was elected Assemblyman in 1961, He was re-elected in 1963.
After the U.S. Supreme Court, in Reynolds v. Sims (more commonly known as One Man, One Vote), required redistricting by state legislatures for congressional districts to keep represented populations equal, as well as requiring both houses of state legislatures to have districts drawn that contained roughly equal populations, and to perform redistricting when needed. Because of its population, Bergen County gained a three Senate seats. Moriates chose to run for the State Senate.
A deep split among Bergen County Republicans intensified in 1963 when incumbent Senate, Pierce H. Deamer, Jr. and former State Senator Walter H. Jones faced off in an election for Bergen County Republican Chairman. Jones won, and by 1965, Deamer found himself dumped from the Bergen County Republican Organization line. Jones backed Moraites for Senate and put him on a ticket with Assembly Speaker Marion West Higgins, and former Assemblymen Nelson G. Gross and Arthur Vervaet. Deamer ran on an insurgent ticket with Assemblymen Richard Vander Plaat and Harry Randall, Jr., and former Assemblyman Carmine Savino. Jones' slate won decisively, with Moraites finishing second.
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