George H. Barbour (June 24, 1917 – September 23, 1992) was an American lawyer and politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly for one term in the 1960s and two terms in the 1970s, where he represented the 7th Legislative District, before being appointed to serve on the

New Jersey Board of Public Utilities The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) is a regulatory authority in New Jersey "with authority to oversee the regulated utilities, which in turn provide critical services such as natural gas, electricity, water, telecommunications and ca ...

Personal life

Born in

Black Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania Black Township is a township in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 899 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The township was named for Jeremiah Sullivan Black, ...

, Barbour earned his undergraduate degree at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

before earning a degree in law at Rutgers Law School-Camden. He served with 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 ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in Europe and India, attaining the rank of first lieutenant.Staff
"George H. Barbour, 75, Trenton Utilities Head"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', September 28, 1992. Accessed November 10, 2016. A resident of Maple Shade Township, he practiced law in his hometown and spent a decade as the township's municipal attorney before pursuing elected office. Barbour died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on September 23, 1992, at the age of 75 at Kennedy University Hospital in

Cherry Hill, New Jersey Cherry Hill is a township within Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a population of 74,553, which reflected an increase of 3,508 (+4.94%) from the 71,045 counted in the 2010 census.

. He was survived by his wife, Veronica, as well as by a daughter and four sons.

Public service

Barbour represented Burlington County in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1962 to 1964, having been elected together with G. Edward Koenig.Results of the General Election Held November 7th, 1961
,

New Jersey Department of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing artistic, cultural, and historical programs within the U.S. state of New Jersey, as we ...

. Accessed November 10, 2016. Barbour and Koening ran for re-election in 1963, losing to Republicans Robert H. Berglund and Walter L. Smith Jr.Results of the General Election Held November 5th, 1963
,

. Accessed November 10, 2016. In the November 1965 general election, Barbour 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, ...

seat in the 4th Legislative District, which then covered all of Burlington County, and lost to Republican

Edwin B. Forsythe Edwin Bell Forsythe (January 17, 1916 – March 29, 1984) was an American Republican Party politician from New Jersey who represented parts of Burlington, Ocean, and Camden Counties in the United States House of Representatives from 1970 until h ...

.Results of the General Election Held November 2nd, 1965
,

. Accessed November 10, 2016. In November 1971, Barbour and Democratic running mate

Charles B. Yates Charles B. Yates (September 27, 1939 – October 6, 2000) was an American politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1972 to 1978 and in the New Jersey Senate from 1978 to 1982. A resident of Edgewater Park, New Jersey, he d ...

were elected to the New Jersey General Assembly to represent Legislative District 4C, which covered portions of Burlington County, defeating Republicans Harold L. Colburn and Wynn Kennedy.Results of the General Election Held November 2, 1971
,

. Accessed November 10, 2016. In the November 1973 general election, Barbour and Yates were elected to represent the 7th Legislative District in the General Assembly, the first election in which the 40-district legislature was established under the terms of the 1964

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

decision in ''

Reynolds v. Sims ''Reynolds v. Sims'', 377 U.S. 533 (1964), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that the electoral districts of state legislative chambers must be roughly equal in population. Along with ''Baker v. Carr'' (196 ...

'', which required the populations of legislative districts to be as equal as possible. The new 7th District covered much of Burlington County.New Jersey Legislative Districts 1974–
, New Jersey State Library. Accessed November 8, 2016. "7th DISTRICT Part of Burlington county: Beverly city, Burlington city, Burlington township, Cinnaminson township, Delanco township, Delran township, Edgewater Park township, Hainesport township, Lumberton township, Maple Shade township, Moorestown township, Mount Laurel township, Riverside township, Riverton borough, Springfield township, Westampton township, Willingboro township, and Wrightstown borough." Barbour and Yates defeated Republican candidates Ralph A. Skowron and William B. Hawks.Results of the General Election Held November 6, 1973
, New Jersey State Library. Accessed November 10, 2016. Barbour and Yates were re-elected in 1975, defeating Bennett E. Bozarth and John F. Vassallo Jr.Results of the General Election Held November 4, 1975
, New Jersey State Library. Accessed November 10, 2016. For the 1976–77 legislative session, Barbour was elected to serve as the Assembly's assistant majority leader. After the state had painted the base of the dome of the New Jersey State House in a shade of blue, Barbour and Yates introduced legislation in 1972 that would require the dome to be restored with the traditional gold together with an off-white base; the restoration included covering the dome in gold leaf that cost the state $28,000. A bill introduced by Barbour and signed into law by Governor Byrne in 1974 created a statewide system of scenic trails, with the Appalachian Trail the first to be designated as part of the network. Barbour resigned from the Assembly on September 26, 1976, after being nominated by Governor

Brendan Byrne Brendan Thomas Byrne (April 1, 1924 – January 4, 2018) was an American politician, statesman, and prosecutor, serving as the 47th governor of New Jersey from 1974 to 1982. A member of the Democratic Party, Byrne started his career as a privat ...

to fill the seat that had been held by Anthony J. Grossi on the three-member New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. He was sworn into office as the board's third member on October 5 of that year. Herman T. Costello was elected in a November 1976 special election to fill Barbour's vacant seat and was sworn into office on November 8, 1976.Staff
''Fitzgerald's Legislative Manual; 1979"
p. 223. J.A. Fitzgerald, 1979. Accessed November 10, 2016. "Assemblyman Costello was elected to the Assembly in a special election Nov. 2, 1976, to serve the remainder of the term of former Assemblyman George H. Barbour of Maple Shade, who resigned from the Assembly to accept appointment to the Board of Public Utilities Commissioners." Barbour served as the board's president from 1979 to 1983. In 1980, Barbour served as an alternate delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

held in New York City that nominated President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale for reelection, having been a longtime chairman of the

Burlington County Burlington County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county is the largest by area in New Jersey. Its county seat is Mount Holly.

Democratic Committee.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barbour, George H. 1917 births 1992 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American legislators United States Army personnel of World War II Military personnel from New Jersey Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly New Jersey lawyers People from Maple Shade Township, New Jersey People from Somerset County, Pennsylvania Politicians from Burlington County, New Jersey Rutgers University alumni United States Army officers Military personnel from Pennsylvania 20th-century New Jersey politicians