Photo Courtesy Joe Fagan Gov. Richard Codey with another New Jersey governor, George B. McClellan.
By Joseph Fagan
Special to Essex News Daily
Since the adoption of the New Jersey Constitution in 1844, only 55 men and one woman have served as governor of the State of New Jersey. West Orange holds a unique place in that history, having been home to four former governors, more than any other municipality in the state.
All four served after the 1844 Constitution and began their gubernatorial terms after West Orange became an independent township in 1863.
The first was George B. McClellan, a Civil War general who arrived in West Orange in June 1863.
Although relieved of command following the Battle of Antietam, he later entered public life. He opposed President Abraham Lincoln in the Election of 1864 from West Orange but lost. He later served as New Jersey’s 24th Governor from 1878 to 1881.
The second was Charles Edison, son of inventor Thomas Edison. Born in 1890 at his father’s Glenmont estate in Llewellyn Park, he is the only New Jersey governor born in West Orange. He served as Governor from 1941 to 1944, during World War II, after holding senior positions in the U.S. Navy Department.
The third was Brendan Byrne, born in 1924 and raised in West Orange. He was a 1942 graduate of West Orange High School and served as a navigator on a B-17 bomber during World War II before entering public service. He later served two terms as New Jersey’s 47th Governor from 1974 to 1982.
The fourth was Richard J. Codey, who grew up in Orange and later raised his family in West Orange, where he lived until 2009. He became acting governor in 2004 following the resignation of Gov. James McGreevey. After serving more than 180 consecutive days in that role, he was formally recognized under state law as New Jersey’s 53rd Governor on Jan. 9, 2006.
Gov. Codey served for decades in the New Jersey Legislature and remained active in public life until his retirement in 2024. He passed away on Jan. 11, at the age of 79, at his home in Roseland.
In West Orange, his name remains associated with Essex County’s Richard J. Codey Arena, formerly the South Mountain Arena. Codey’s inclusion among the four governors connected to the township reflects West Orange’s uncommon role in New Jersey’s gubernatorial history.
Gov. Richard Codey with another New Jersey governor, George B. McClellan.
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