Joseph D. Patero

{{Short description|American politician (1932–2020)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Joseph D. Patero

|image =

|caption =

|office1 = Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 14th Legislative District

|term_start1 = January 12, 1988

|term_end1 = August 22, 1991

|alongside1 = Anthony J. Cimino

|predecessor1 = Joseph L. Bocchini Jr.
John K. Rafferty

|successor1 = Peter A. Cantu

|constituency1=14th district

|term_start2 = January 8, 1974

|term_end2 = January 14, 1986

|alongside2 = Joseph L. Bocchini Jr.

|predecessor2 = District created

|successor2 = John K. Rafferty

|constituency2= 17th district (1974–1982)
14th district (1982–1986)

|birth_name =

|birth_date = {{Birth date|1932|3|30}}

|birth_place = Manville, New Jersey

|death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|6|20|1932|3|30}}

|death_place = Manville, New Jersey

|party = Democratic

}}

Joseph D. Patero (March 30, 1932 – June 20, 2020) was an American politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1974 to 1986 and from 1988 to 1991.{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/146513090/ |title=Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey on November 6, 1983 · Page 4 |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=1983-11-06 |accessdate=2016-12-09}} During the majority of his tenure in the Assembly, he served as chair of the Assembly's Labor Committee.{{cite web|url=https://newjerseyglobe.com/in-memoriam/joseph-patero-former-assembly-labor-committee-chairman-dies-at-88/ |title=Joseph Patero, former Assembly Labor Committee chairman, dies at 88 |publisher=New Jersey Globe |date=2020-06-23 |accessdate=2020-06-24}}

Born and raised in Manville, Patero attended Bound Brook High School and Rutgers University.[https://books.google.com/books?id=amIkAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Assemblyman+Patero+was+born%22 Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, 1984], p. 252. Accessed August 17, 2020. "Assemblyman Patero was born March 30, 1932, in Manville. He attended Sacred Heart School, Bound Brook High School, and Rutgers University."

Patero served in the United States Army during the Korean War. He also served in the volunteer fire department and on the Manville Board of Health. He died at his home in Manville on June 20, 2020, at age 88.