Harry Lloyd Sears (January 16, 1920 – May 17, 2002) was an American lawyer and Republican Party politician who served for 10 years in the

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 ...

. As State Majority Leader he was the Chairman of the New Jersey Committee to re-elect President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

(R). He was also legal counsel for the International Controls Corporation, run by

Robert Vesco The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

which was under investigation by the

Securities Exchange Commission The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The primary purpose of the SEC is to enforce the law against market ...

. Sears delivered $200,000 in cash from Vesco who had secretly contributed it to Nixon's

Committee for the Re-Election of the President The Committee for the Re-election of the President (also known as the Committee to Re-elect the President), abbreviated CRP, but often mocked by the acronym CREEP, was, officially, a fundraising organization of United States President Richard Nix ...

(CREEP). Sears was indicted on charges of bribery and conspiracy, but was granted immunity in return for his testimony which eventually led to

Watergate The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual ...

and the resignation of Nixon.

Early life

Sears was born in 1920 in

Butler, New Jersey Butler is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 8,047, an increase of 508 (+6.7%) from the 2010 census count of 7,539, which in turn reflected an increase of 11 ...

and graduated from Butler High School in 1937. He graduated in 1942 with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in economics from

Tusculum College Tusculum University is a private Presbyterian university with its main campus in Tusculum, Tennessee. It is Tennessee's first university and the 28th-oldest operating college in the United States. In addition to its main campus, the institution ...

Greeneville, Tennessee Greeneville is a town in and the county seat of Greene County, Tennessee, United States. The population as of the 2020 census was 15,479. The town was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene, and it is the second oldest town i ...

. 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 ...

he served as a lieutenant in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. He received his law degree from

Rutgers School of Law—Newark Rutgers Law School is the law school of Rutgers University, with classrooms in Newark and Camden, New Jersey. It is the largest public law school and the 10th largest law school, overall, in the United States. Each class in the three-year J.D. pr ...

Legislative career

Sears was elected to 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 for ...

from Morris County in 1961 and was re-elected in 1963 and 1965. He was elected to 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, ...

in 1967. In 1969, he unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...

. He lost the Republican primary to

William T. Cahill William Thomas Cahill (June 25, 1912July 1, 1996) was an American politician, lawyer, and academic who served as the 46th governor of New Jersey from 1970 to 1974. A Republican, Cahill previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, repr ...

, also finishing behind U.S. Rep. Charles W. Sandman, Jr., and ahead of State Sen. Frank X. McDermott and Board of Public Utilities Commissioner

William E. Ozzard William E. Ozzard (June 15, 1915 — June 29, 2002) was an American Republican Party politician who served for 13 years in the New Jersey Legislature, serving as New Jersey Senate President in 1963. He was President of the New Jersey Board ...

. From 1970 to 1971, Sears served as the majority leader in the Senate. He was instrumental in passing legislation that created the

New Jersey Lottery The New Jersey Lottery is run by the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its In-house draw games are: Pick-3, Pick-4, Jersey Cash 5, Pick-6, Quick Draw, and Cash Pop. Its multi-jurisdictional draw games are: Cash4Life, Mega Millions, and Powerball. The ...

and the

Meadowlands Sports Complex The Meadowlands Sports Complex is a sports complex located in East Rutherford, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The facility is owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA). The complex currently consi ...

, signed into law by Governor Cahill. In March 1971, he announced that he would resign from office and return to his legal practice. After leaving office, Sears was named chairman of the New Jersey campaign to re-elect

in the 1972 presidential election. He also served as counsel for the

International Controls Corporation International Controls Corporation (ICC) was an American holding company incorporated in 1965. Before being taken private in 1997, its subsidiaries included Checker Motors Corporation and Great Dane Trailers. It had previously been forced to liquida ...

, a company run by financier

which was under investigation by the SEC for its takeover of the

Investors Overseas Service Investors Overseas Services, Ltd. (IOS) was founded in 1955 by financier Bernard Cornfeld. The company was incorporated outside the United States with funds in Canada and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. In the 1960s, the company employed 2 ...

. Through Sears, Vesco donated $200,000 in cash to the

, also known as CREEP. That money fueled the activities which came to be known as the

scandal and led to the resignation of Nixon. Sears was granted immunity in exchange for his testimony and was never charged.

Later life

Sears later returned to private practice, specializing in land use and real estate law, until retiring in 1992. A longtime resident of

Mountain Lakes A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

, Sears moved to

Mount Arlington, New Jersey Mount Arlington is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 5,050,Denville Township at the age of 82.Staff
"Former State Senator Harry L. Sears, 82, instrumental force in creation of Meadowlands, lottery and state tax reform"
''New Jersey Hills'', May 23, 2002. Accessed June 4, 2018. "Former State Senator Harry L. Sears, 82, of Mount Arlington, who took the lead as Senate majority leader in passing legislation creating the Meadowlands Complex and the lottery, as well as a broad-based state tax reform, died after a short illness on Friday, May 17, 2002, at Saint Clare's Hospital in Denville. Mr. Sears was born in Paterson and lived in Mountain Lakes for 45 years before he moved to Mount Arlington six years ago."

References

External links

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations of ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sears, Harry L. 1920 births 2002 deaths People from Butler, New Jersey People from Mount Arlington, New Jersey People from Mountain Lakes, New Jersey Politicians from Morris County, New Jersey Tusculum University alumni Rutgers School of Law–Newark alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II New Jersey lawyers Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Republican Party New Jersey state senators 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers New Jersey politicians convicted of crimes