Mims Hackett
{{Short description|American politician (born 1941)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Mims Hackett
|image =
|caption =
|office = Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 27th Legislative District
|term_start = January 8, 2002
|term_end = September 10, 2007
|predecessor = Nia Gill
LeRoy J. Jones Jr.
|alongside = John F. McKeon
|successor = Mila Jasey
|office1 = Mayor of Orange, New Jersey
|term_start1 = 1996
|term_end1 = May 27, 2008
|predecessor1 = Robert L. Brown
|successor1 = Eldridge Hawkins Jr.
|birth_name =
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1941|9|28}}
|birth_place = Birmingham, Alabama
|party = Democratic
}}
Mims Hackett Jr. (born September 28, 1941) is an American Democratic Party politician, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2002 to 2007, where he represented the 27th Legislative District, which covers the western portion of Essex County.
Biography
He was born on September 28, 1941, in Birmingham, Alabama. Hackett received a B.S. in 1963 from Paul Quinn College in biology and physical science and received an M.S. in 1976 from Seton Hall University in administration and supervision.[http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=55072 Assembly Member Mims Hackett Jr.]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Project Vote Smart. Accessed August 27, 2007.
Hackett served in the Assembly on the State Government Committee (as Chair), the Appropriations Committee and the Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee.[http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/Hackett.asp Assemblyman Hackett's Legislative Website] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051027062314/http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/hackett.asp |date=October 27, 2005 }}, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed August 27, 2007.
Hackett served as the Mayor of Orange, New Jersey from 1996 to 2008. He served on its City Council from 1988 to 1996. He spent thirty-two years as a science teacher in the Union City Board of Education.
2007 corruption charges
Hackett was arrested by the FBI on September 6, 2007, in a Federal corruption probe that also included the arrests of Assemblymen Alfred E. Steele and Passaic Mayor Samuel Rivera.Baldwin, Tom. [https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-06-nj-probe_N.htm "11 arrested in N.J. corruption probe"], USA Today, September 6, 2007. Accessed September 6, 2007. "Among the arrested were state Assemblymen Mims Hackett Jr. and Rev. Alfred Steele aides in their legislative offices acknowledged. Also reportedly arrested was Samuel Rivera, the mayor of Passaic, and Keith Reid, the chief of staff to Newark City Council President Mildred Crump." The indictment alleges that Hackett accepted $5,000 in bribes for his efforts to steer insurance business from the City of Orange, with an additional $25,000 to be accepted if the firm received the insurance business it sought.Staff. [http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk1JmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3MTkxODE2JnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Mg== "Who's who: Overview of the politicians charged in bribery scandal"], The Record, September 7, 2007. Accessed September 7, 2007. On September 7, 2007, Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine called on both Hackett and Steele to resign from their seats in the New Jersey Legislature.Reitmeyer, John. [http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3MTkyMTAzJnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Mg== "Corzine: Steele, Hackett should step down"], The Record, September 7, 2007. Accessed September 7, 2007. "Governor Corzine and fellow top Democrats urged two North Jersey legislators to resign by the end of the weekend, after the pair was arrested as part of a sweeping corruption investigation."
Hackett submitted his letter of resignation from his Assembly seat on September 10, 2007; Steele followed with a resignation submitted that same day.Rispoli, Michael. [http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070911/NEWS01/709110362/1006/NEWS01 "Two legislators quit over arrests"], Courier-Post, September 11, 2007. Accessed September 12, 2007. "The resignations of Assemblyman Mims Hackett Jr., D-Essex, who is also mayor of Orange, was received Monday afternoon by the Assembly clerk.... The letter from Assemblyman Alfred Steele, D-Passaic, was received later in the afternoon." In resigning before September 17, 2007, the Democratic Party was able to put an alternate on the November ballot in lieu of Hackett.[http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/85273 "NJ Assemblyman Hackett Steps Down"], WNYC, September 8, 2007. Accessed September 8, 2007. He resigned as mayor of Orange on May 27, 2008.{{Cite news|first=David W.|last=Chen |authorlink= |title= Mayor of Orange Resigns and Pleads Guilty to Extortion |newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 28, 2008 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/28/nyregion/27cnd-hackett.html |accessdate=|quote=Afterward, Mr. Hackett, who resigned as mayor effective 8 a.m. Tuesday, declined to comment.}}
Hackett was convicted on a charge of falsifying expense receipts and was sentenced to a five-year prison term beginning in January 2009. In December of that year, he was accepted into a state early-release program and was allowed to return home.{{cite news |title=Former N.J. assemblyman convicted of fraud granted early release |last=Friedman |first=Alexi |newspaper=The Star-Ledger |date=December 31, 2009 |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/12/former_nj_assemblyman_orange_m.html |accessdate=September 24, 2016}}
He currently resides in Orange.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20051027062314/http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/hackett.asp Assemblyman Hackett's Legislative Website]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070321212754/http://70.98.54.36/~ciorange/mayor_biography.html City of Orange Township mayoral biography]
- [http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=55072 Assembly Member Mims Hackett Jr.]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Project Vote Smart
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20051030123106/http://www.njvoterinfo.org/cb/hackett.html New Jersey Voter Information Website 2003]
- [http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/ethics/FinancialDisclosure/HackettM2006.pdf New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure form for 2006 (PDF)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606160906/http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/ethics/FinancialDisclosure/HackettM2006.pdf |date=June 6, 2011 }}
- [http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/ethics/FinancialDisclosure/HackettM2005.pdf New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure form for 2005 (PDF)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061015005103/http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/ethics/FinancialDisclosure/HackettM2005.pdf |date=October 15, 2006 }}
- [http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/ethics/FinancialDisclosure/HackettM2004.pdf New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure form for 2004 (PDF)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061015005729/http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/ethics/FinancialDisclosure/HackettM2004.pdf |date=October 15, 2006 }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hackett, Mims}}
Category:20th-century mayors of places in New Jersey
Category:21st-century mayors of places in New Jersey
Category:African-American state legislators in New Jersey
Category:Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly
Category:New Jersey politicians convicted of crimes
Category:Paul Quinn College alumni
Category:Politicians from Birmingham, Alabama
Category:Politicians from Essex County, New Jersey
Category:Mayors of Orange, New Jersey
Category:New Jersey politicians convicted of corruption
Category:Seton Hall University alumni
Category:21st-century African-American politicians
Category:20th-century African-American politicians