Joseph P. Merlino

Merlino was born in 1922 in Trenton, New Jersey, the son of Pasquale and Margarita (Fuccello) Merlino. He attended Trenton Central High School and then served in the U.S. Army, mainly in the Mediterranean area. He received a bachelor's degree from Seton Hall College in 1948 and a law degree from Fordham University in 1951.{{cite news |first=Eric |last=Pace |title=Joseph Merlino, 76, Trenton Political Figure |work=The New York Times |date=October 9, 1998 |access-date=March 9, 2009 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9901E7DB133BF93AA35753C1A96E958260 }}

From 1956 until 1989, he was the senior partner in the Trenton law firm of Merlino, Rottkamp & Flacks and its predecessors. He served as assistant prosecutor for Mercer County for seven years and as Trenton city attorney from 1966 to 1970.{{cite book |title=Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey |year=1979 |publisher=J.A. Fitzgerald |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-ipMAAAAMAAJ }}

On October 7, 1998, Merlino died from complications of heart disease and diabetes at the Forrestal Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Princeton; he was 76.

In 1967, Merlino was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly and was re-elected in 1969, both times from District 6B alongside S. Howard Woodson. He was then elected to the New Jersey Senate from District 6B in 1971 and re-elected in 1973 and 1977 from the 13th district. He was assistant Senate majority leader from 1974 to 1975; majority leader from 1976 to 1977; and president of the Senate from 1978 to 1981.

As Majority Leader and Senate President, Merlino pushed through many legislative programs favored by Governor Brendan Byrne, a longtime political ally. Among this legislation was the state's graduated income tax (passed in 1976) and the Pinelands Protection Act (enacted in 1979, authorizing the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve).

In 1981, Merlino ran in the Democratic primary for Governor of New Jersey. The crowded field of 13 Democratic candidates included U.S. Representative James Florio, Newark Mayor Kenneth A. Gibson, U.S. Representative Robert A. Roe, Attorney General John J. Degnan, and Jersey City Mayor Thomas F. X. Smith. Merlino finished in fourth place with 11 percent of the vote behind Florio (26 percent), Roe (16 percent), and Gibson (16 percent).{{cite news |title=Florio and Kean Agree Taxes Are Key Issue |work=The New York Times |date=June 4, 1981 |access-date=March 9, 2009 |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20815FD395C0C778CDDAF0894D9484D81 | first=Maurice | last=Carroll}}

In January 1982, Merlino was nearly appointed to the United States Senate to succeed Harrison A. Williams. Williams, who had been convicted on federal bribery charges and faced expulsion from the Senate, was under intense pressure from Democratic Party leadership to resign. He refused to do so, and at the inauguration of Republican governor-elect Thomas Kean on January 19, 1982, outgoing governor Brendan Byrne attended with a letter appointing Merlino to the seat, addressed to Secretary of State Donald Lan, in his suit pocket. Lan was ordered to remain at Byrne’s side until the moment Kean took office, just in case Williams resigned at the last minute. However, Williams did not resign until March 11, and Kean appointed Nicholas F. Brady, a fellow Republican, to the vacant seat.{{Cite web |last=Wildstein |first=David |date=2024-07-16 |title=Last U.S. Senator from N.J. convicted of bribery remained in office for more than 10 months |url=https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/last-u-s-senator-from-n-j-convicted-of-bribery-remained-in-office-for-more-than-10-months/ |access-date=2025-06-10 |website=New Jersey Globe |language=en-US}}

In 1982, Merlino ran for the House of Representatives in the newly redistricted 4th Congressional District. Merlino was expected to coast to victory over the 29-year-old freshman Republican incumbent, Chris Smith, whose 1980 win over Frank Thompson (indicted in the Abscam operation) was seen as a fluke. At the end of one of their debates, Smith approached Merlino to exchange pleasantries. Merlino was quoted as saying "Beat it, kid." Smith won the election with 53% of the vote.{{cite web |url=http://www.cqpress.com/ls/pia/pdfs/106/nj04.pdf |title=Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R) |access-date=March 9, 2009 |publisher=CQ Press }}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/mereness-merola.html#0RA15Z6WF Joseph P. Merlino] at The Political Graveyard

{{s-start}}

{{s-par|us-nj-hs}}

{{s-bef|before=Constituency established}}

{{s-ttl|title=Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 6B district|years=January 9, 1968–January 11, 1972}}

{{s-aft|after=Francis J. McManimon}}

|-

{{s-par|us-nj-sen}}

{{s-bef|before=Constituency established}}

{{s-ttl|title=Member of the New Jersey Senate
from the 6B district|years=January 11, 1972–January 8, 1974}}

{{s-aft|after=Constituency abolished}}

|-

{{s-bef|before=Constituency established}}

{{s-ttl|title=Member of the New Jersey Senate
from the 13th district|years=January 8, 1974–January 12, 1982}}

{{s-aft|after=John P. Gallagher}}

|-

{{s-off}}

{{s-bef|before=Matthew Feldman}}

{{s-ttl|title=President of the New Jersey Senate|years=January 10, 1978–January 12, 1982}}

{{s-aft|after= Carmen A. Orechio}}

{{s-end}}

{{Presidents of the New Jersey Senate}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merlino, Joseph P.}}

Category:1922 births

Category:1998 deaths

Category:20th-century American lawyers

Category:American people of Italian descent

Category:Deaths from diabetes in New Jersey

Category:Democratic Party New Jersey state senators

Category:Fordham University School of Law alumni

Category:Lawyers from Mercer County, New Jersey

Category:Politicians from Trenton, New Jersey

Category:Presidents of the New Jersey Senate

Category:Seton Hall University alumni

Category:Trenton Central High School alumni

Category:20th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature