Francis L. "Fran" Bodine (January 10, 1936 – January 11, 2023) was an American Republican Party politician who served in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

from 1994 to 2008, where he represented the 8th Legislative District. He switched to the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

in 2007 after local Republicans dropped support for his reelection campaign to the Assembly and unsuccessfully ran for the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...

Biography

Bodine served in the Assembly on the Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee.,

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the ...

. Accessed April 7, 2008. He served in the Assembly as Deputy Leader from 2006 to 2007, served as the Assistant Republican Whip from 2002 to 2006 and was the Assistant Majority Whip during 2000–2001. Bodine was selected in February 1994 by the District Republican Committee to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Assemblyman Robert C. Shinn Jr. On April 5, 2007, Bodine announced that he was switching from the Republican Party, would serve the balance of his term as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, and would run as a Democrat to fill the Senate seat to be vacated by Martha W. Bark. Bodine's switch followed the Burlington County Republican Party's decision to endorse another candidate to fill Bodine's seat in the Assembly. Bodine, running as a Democrat, was defeated by the Republican candidate, Phil Haines, on November 6, 2007, in his race for the

New Jersey State Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...

by a margin of 39% to 61%. Assemblyman Bodine sponsored legislation providing for $500 million bridge repair bond referendum, unification of ports of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and Camden oversight agencies and for authorization and funding of the Delaware Valley light rail project. He served on the Burlington County

Board of Chosen Freeholders In New Jersey, a Board of County Commissioners (until 2020 named the Board of Chosen Freeholders) is the elected county-wide government board in each of the state's 21 counties. In the five counties that have an elected county executive, the ...

from 1985 to 1994 and as its Director in 1988 and 1993. He was a Commissioner of the

Delaware River Port Authority The Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), officially the Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, is a bi-state agency instrumentality created by a congressionally approved interstate compact between the governments of Pen ...

from 1983 to 1990 where he was the chairman of the executive committee and vice chairman, operation and maintenance. He was the Mayor of Moorestown Township, New Jersey from 1981 to 1987 and served on its council from 1977 to 1978. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

from 1954 to 1956.

Personal

Bodine was born and raised in

Moorestown, New Jersey Moorestown is a township in Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an eastern suburb of Philadelphia and geographically part of the South Jersey region of the state. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was ...

and graduated from

Moorestown High School Moorestown High School (MHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Moorestown in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the M ...

. He received a

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

degree in 1960 from La Salle University in Marketing. He was a Senior Account Executive for Grinspec Consulting before entering politics. He resided in Moorestown and later Surf City, New Jersey. He died one day after his 87th birthday on January 11, 2023.Assembly Member Francis L. Bodine

Project Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected officials in si ...

. Accessed August 8, 2007.

References

External links

Assembly Member Francis L. Bodine

New Jersey Voter Information Website 2003New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure form for 2006 (PDF)New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure form for 2005 (PDF)New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure form for 2004 (PDF)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bodine, Francis L. 1936 births 2023 deaths Mayors of Moorestown, New Jersey County commissioners in New Jersey Moorestown High School alumni Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly People from Moorestown, New Jersey People from Mount Holly, New Jersey People from Surf City, New Jersey Politicians from Burlington County, New Jersey United States Army soldiers La Salle University alumni 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians

Biography

Personal

See also

References

External links