James R. Hurley
{{Short description|American politician (1932–2023)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = James R. Hurley
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1932|01|29}}
| birth_place = Seaford, Delaware, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|06|17|1932|1|29}}
| death_place =
|office1 = Chairman of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission
| term1 = 1998–2002
| predecessor1 = Bradford S. Smith
| successor1 = Linda M. Kassekert
|state_senate2=New Jersey
|district2=1st
|term_start2=January 12, 1982
|term_end2=January 2, 1990
|predecessor2 = James Cafiero
|successor2 = James Cafiero
|state_assembly3 = New Jersey
|district3 = 1st
|term_start3=January 9, 1968
|term_end3=January 12, 1982
|predecessor3=District created
|successor3=Guy F. Muziani
|alongside3=Joseph W. Chinnici
| party = Republican
| spouse = {{marriage|Walda Hurley|1952|2022|end = died}}
| children =
| parents =
| website =
| footnotes =
| box_width =
}}
James R. Hurley (January 29, 1932 – June 17, 2023) was an American Republican politician from Millville, New Jersey. He was a member of the New Jersey Legislature from 1968 to 1990, and had stints as the Republican leader in both houses.
Career
Hurley served on Cumberland County's first Board of Chosen Freeholders. He was later elected a member of the New Jersey General Assembly, where he represented the 1st Legislative District from 1968 to 1982 and served as both Minority Leader and Majority Leader. In 1982 he was elevated to the New Jersey Senate where he served for a time as Minority Leader."Fitzgerald's Legislative Manual of the State of New Jersey (2007), Skinder-Strauss Associates, p. 319 re Senate, 327 re Assembly. {{ISBN|1-57741-245-1}}.
On January 2, 1990, Hurley stepped down from the Senate, after he was appointed a member of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission by Governor Thomas Kean. He was reappointed in 1992 by Governor James Florio and in 1997 by Governor Christine Todd Whitman. On October 29, 1998, he was appointed the commission's fifth Chairman and served in that capacity until 2002.[http://www.state.nj.us/casinos/about/commrepo/docs/ccc2000annrpt.pdf New Jersey Casino Control Commission, 2000 Annual Report], page 6.[http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislativepub/digest/19981019.pdf New Jersey Legislative Digest for October 19, 1998] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124233347/https://njleg.state.nj.us/legislativepub/digest/19981019.pdf |date=November 24, 2020 }}, page 2.
In 1976, Hurley made an unsuccessful run for the House of Representatives in {{ushr|New Jersey|2}} against William J. Hughes, who had unseated the Republican incumbent in the previous election of 1974. However, Hughes defended his seat and convincingly won the election with 62% of the vote to Hurley's 38%.
As a state senator in August 1983, Hurley received a reprimand from a legislative ethics panel for accepting a $10,000 fee in a land deal between Wawa, Inc. and the state.[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07E3DF1E39F936A3575BC0A965948260 "THE REGION; State Senator Gets Reprimand on Fee"], The New York Times, August 5, 1983.
Outside politics Hurley worked in public relations and advertising.[http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/hurley.html#0R81CB0XT James R. Hurley profile], The Political Graveyard. Accessed May 30, 2007. He created the non-profit Affordable Homes of Millville Ecumenical (AHOME) and served on its board of directors. In December 2010, Hurley was named AHOME's first Chairman Emeritus. The James R. Hurley Industrial Park in Millville is named for him.
Personal life and death
Hurley was married to his wife, Walda, from 1952 until her death in 2022.{{cite news|url = https://newjerseyglobe.com/in-memoriam/jim-hurley-senate-and-assembly-minority-leader-dies-at-91/|title = Jim Hurley, Senate and Assembly Minority Leader, dies at 91|last = Wildstein|first = David|work = New Jersey Globe|date = June 18, 2023|accessdate = June 19, 2023}}[http://www.nj.com/cumberland/index.ssf/2011/06/james_r_hurley_industrial_park.html "James R. Hurley Industrial Park unveiled in Millville"], www.nj.com, June 16, 2011.
Hurley died June 17, 2023, at the age of 91.{{cite web|url = https://www.nj.gov/casinos/about/history/commissioners/hurley.html|title = James R. Hurley|website = New Jersey Casino Control Commission|accessdate = July 1, 2023}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-gov}}
{{s-bef|before=Bradford S. Smith}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission|years=1998–2002}}
{{s-aft|after=Linda M. Kassekert}}
{{s-par|us-nj-sen}}
{{s-bef|before=James Cafiero}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of the New Jersey Senate
from the 1st district|years=1982–1990}}
{{s-aft|after=James Cafiero}}
{{s-par|us-nj-hs}}
{{s-bef|before=District created}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 1st district|alongside=James Cafiero, Joseph W. Chinnici|years=1968–1982}}
{{s-aft|after=Guy F. Muziani}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurley, James R.}}
Category:American Presbyterians
Category:Candidates in the 1976 United States elections
Category:Members of American gaming commissions
Category:People from Millville, New Jersey
Category:People from Seaford, Delaware
Category:Place of death missing
Category:Politicians from Cumberland County, New Jersey
Category:Republican Party New Jersey state senators
Category:Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly