Harold J. Wirths (born April 5, 1965) is an American
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
politician who has 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 ...
New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development
The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The New Jersey Civil Service Commission is an independent body within the New Jersey state government under the auspices of t ...
from May 24, 2010 to August 1, 2016, appointed by former Governor
Chris Christie
Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018.
Christie, who was born in N ...
in 2010.Office of the Governor, State of New Jersey Harold J. Wirths: Commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Labor Retrieved 22 May 2013.Department of Labor and Workforce Development, State of New Jersey Retrieved 22 May 2013.
Wirths has served in the General Assembly since 2020 as the Minority Budget Officer.
Early life
Wirths is the adopted son of
Wallace R. Wirths
Wallace Richard Wirths (7 July 1921 – 6 July 2002), was a former Westinghouse executive, politician, author, newspaper columnist and radio commentator, who was a benefactor of Upsala College in East Orange, New Jersey.Strunksy, Steve"IN BRIEF; ...
(1921–2002), a former Westinghouse executive, author, newspaper columnist and radio commentator, who was a benefactor of
Upsala College
Upsala College (UC) was a private college affiliated with the Swedish-American Augustana Synod (later the Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church) and located in East Orange in Essex County, New Jersey in the United States. Upsala was founded in ...
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 d ...
'', August 2, 1998. (Retrieved July 10, 2012). from which Wirths would go on to graduate with an associates degree in busines
Wirths was a small business owner in Sussex County, New Jersey, Sussex County in northwestern New Jersey, owning and managing furniture stores located near
Hamburg, New Jersey
Hamburg is a borough in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough's population was 3,266, a decline of 11 (-0.3%) from the 2010 census count of 3,277, He also helped to establish Noble Community Bank, which today is part of Highlands State Bank, and he served on the Highlands Bank board of directors. Wirths resides in
Wantage Township, New Jersey
Wantage Township is a township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 11,358, reflecting an increase of 971 (+9.3%) from the 10,387 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn i ...
with his wife and two daughters.
Sussex County Board of Chosen Freeholders
Wirths ran for Sussex County's
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 ...
as a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
and served as a freeholder for nearly a decade from 2000 to 2010. He resigned from that post to become Labor Commissioner and was succeeded as Freeholder by Parker Space.
Labor Commissioner
Chris Christie
Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018.
Christie, who was born in N ...
New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development
The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The New Jersey Civil Service Commission is an independent body within the New Jersey state government under the auspices of t ...
(2010-2016) and was sworn in on May 24, 2010. One of his focuses as commissioner, was to modernize the state's
unemployment insurance
Unemployment benefits, also called unemployment insurance, unemployment payment, unemployment compensation, or simply unemployment, are payments made by authorized bodies to unemployed people. In the United States, benefits are funded by a comp ...
benefits system and reducing waste attributed to benefits fraud. He served on the boards of several state government commissions and authorities, including the
New Jersey Economic Development Authority
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) is an independent government entity in the U.S. state of New Jersey dedicated to broadening and expanding the state's economic base.
The EDA creates public-private partnerships to provide access ...
, New Jersey State Ethics Commission, New Jersey State Employment and Training Commission, and the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority.
Under the leadership of Commissioner Wirths, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development launched an employer-focused approach to reshape the state's workforce development and training programs.
New Jersey Assembly
In 2017, he ran for 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 ...
Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members 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 ...
Steve Oroho
Steven V. Oroho (born July 26, 1958) is an American Republican Party politician, who has served in the New Jersey Senate since January 8, 2008, where he represents the 24th Legislative District. Oroho is the current State Senate Minority Leader ...
(R)
* Assemblyman Parker Space(R)
* Assemblyman Hal Wirths (R)