Robert Torricelli
Robert G. Torricelli | |
|---|---|
| File:T000317.jpg | |
| United States Senator from New Jersey | |
| In office January 7, 1997 – January 3, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Bradley |
| Succeeded by | Frank Lautenberg |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 9th district | |
| In office January 3, 1983 – January 2, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Harold Hollenbeck |
| Succeeded by | Steve Rothman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 27, 1951 Paterson, New Jersey |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Height | 225 |
| Spouse | Susan Holloway (Divorced) |
Robert Guy Torricelli (born August 27, 1951), nicknamed "the Torch," is an American politician from the U.S. state of New Jersey. Torricelli, a Democrat, served 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives before being elected to the U.S. Senate. He served a single term in the Senate and decided not to run for reelection after being implicated in a bribery and campaign finance scandal involving David Chang, an imprisoned Chinese businessman.
Education and personal life
Torricelli attended Rutgers University both for undergraduate and law school, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1974 and his law degree in 1977. He was admitted to the New Jersey bar in 1978 and later attended Harvard University, earning a Master of Public Administration in 1980.
Torricelli was married to Susan Holloway, from whom he is now divorced. He reportedly has since dated Mick Jagger's former wife Bianca Jagger, conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham and U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell[citation needed].
Torricelli is Italian-American on his father's side.[1] He was raised as a Methodist.[2]
Early political career
Torricelli was an assistant to the Governor of New Jersey Brendan Byrne from 1975 to 1977. In 1978 he served on the Staff of Vice President Walter Mondale, and managed the Carter-Mondale campaign in the Illinois primary, at the age of 28. At the 1980 Democratic National Convention, he served the Carter-Mondale campaign on the Rules Committee. In 1982, Torricelli leveraged his political contacts into a run for US Congress, defeating incumbent Republican Harold Hollenbeck 53% to 46%.
Torricelli served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 1996 representing the New Jersey's 9th Congressional District, and then as a U.S. Senator from 1997 to 2003.
Senate career
He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996, defeating Republican Congressman Dick Zimmer to obtain the seat vacated by the retirement of Democrat Senator Bill Bradley.
In 2000, he headed the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and helped the Democrats gain four Senate seats.
In the middle of an increasingly competitive race against Republican Doug Forrester, Torricelli decided not to run for reelection after being implicated in a bribery scandal with David Chang, a businessman connected to China (See: campaign finance scandal). In a speech, Torricelli stated that despite his leaving public office in a different way than he planned, he was proud of his service. Late in the election season in 2002, the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Democratic Party could legally replace Torricelli's name on the ballot with that of former U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg[3], ironically a longtime Torricelli nemesis, with whom he had often publicly feuded. New Jersey Republicans had contested the Torricelli-Lautenberg swap on the grounds that the deadline for ballot changes had passed. Some claimed that Torricelli had only made his decision after local polls showed, for the first time, that the scandal had damaged Torricelli's re-election chances beyond repair[4].
In 2003 Torricelli raised money for Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry and donated money to a 527 group called "Americans for Jobs and Health Care" that ran controversial ads juxtaposing candidate Howard Dean with Osama bin Laden[5]. He is now a partner in Panepinto Properties, a Jersey city real estate developer.
References
- ^ U.S. Congress Gains Two Italian-Americans: Italian-American Congressional Caucus Gains Two Members in the House, Keeps Most Incumbents, Order Sons of Italy in America, dated November 10, 1998
- ^ United Methodist: Urges House to Pass Gun Ban, press release dated September 9, 1996. "Our legislation will make clear that if you are not responsible enough to keep from doing harm to your spouse or children, then society does not deem you responsible enough to own a gun," said Torricelli, a United Methodist layman.
- ^ http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/nytimes/docs/torricelli/njdpsmsn100202scord.pdf
- ^ Kwame Holman looks at Sen. Robert Torricelli's sudden decision to end his bid to retain his seat, Online Newshour, September 30, 2002
- ^ Kerry, Torricelli and a Mysterious Frontgroup: Who Mugged Howard Dean in Iowa?, CounterPunch, March 6, 2004
External links
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- CNN report on Torricelli dropping out of Senate race.
- 1951 births
- Democrats (United States)
- Living people
- Italian-American politicians
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey
- American Methodists
- New Jersey lawyers
- People from Paterson, New Jersey
- Rutgers University alumni
- United States Senators from New Jersey
- Congressional scandals