John Collins (born June 25, 1943) is an American

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

coach, educator, lawyer, and a

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

politician from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. He was Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly from 1996 until 2002, making him the longest serving speaker in Assembly history.

Biography

Collins was born in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

and moved to Gloucester City, New Jersey at a young age. He attended Gloucester Catholic High School, where he excelled at basketball. He went on to Glassboro State College (now

Rowan University Rowan University is a public research university in Glassboro, New Jersey, with a medical campus in Stratford and medical and academic campuses in Camden. It was founded in 1923 as Glassboro Normal School on a site donated by 107 residents. ...

), receiving a B.A. degree in science education in 1964 and a master's degree in student personnel services in 1967. With the Glassboro Profs basketball team, Collins scored 1,038 points in his career, earning him a place in the South Jersey Basketball Hall of Fame.Biographical information for The Honorable Jack Collins, Esq
, Princeton Public Affairs Group. Accessed March 19, 2008. After graduation, he taught science and coached basketball at Sterling High School. The following year he was invited to become basketball coach at the newly established Camden County College. A year later he became head coach at Glassboro State, and at 26 was one of the youngest head basketball coaches in the country. As coach he racked up 131 victories and three consecutive conference titles. At Glassboro State he also served in the Admissions Office and worked as executive assistant to college president Herman James."Mr. Collins goes to Trenton"
. ''Rowan Magazine'',

, Summer 2000. Accessed March 19, 2008. After retiring from his coaching career, Collins studied law at Rutgers School of Law–Camden, receiving his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree in 1982. After a term on his local school board, the chairman of the

Salem County Salem County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its western boundary is formed by the Delaware River and its eastern terminus is the Delaware Memorial Bridge, which connects the county with New Castle, Delaware. Its cou ...

Republican party asked him to run for the New Jersey General Assembly. Riding the coattails of

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 ...

Thomas Kean in 1985, Collins and his running mate

Gary Stuhltrager Gary W. Stuhltrager (born May 25, 1955) is an American Republican Party (United States), Republican Party politician who served eight terms in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1986 to 2002, where he represented the New Jersey's 3rd legislati ...

knocked off Democratic incumbents

Martin A. Herman Martin A. Herman (born June 30, 1939) is an American Democratic Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly, where he represented the 3rd Legislative District from 1974 to 1986, and was later appointed as a judge in New Jerse ...

and

Thomas A. Pankok Thomas A. Pankok (July 9, 1931 – January 31, 2022) was an American Democratic Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1982 to 1986, where he represented the 3rd Legislative District. Born on July 9, 1931, in Salem ...

, helping give the Republicans control of the General Assembly for the first time in more than a decade. He took office in 1986, representing the 3rd Legislative District. When Republicans lost control of the Assembly in 1989, Collins was chosen by minority leader Chuck Haytaian to be his deputy. He became majority leader two years later when Republicans regained control of the Assembly and Haytaian was elected Speaker. In 1996, after Haytaian decided not to run for reelection following his unsuccessful 1994 campaign against Senator Frank Lautenberg, Collins succeeded Haytaian as speaker.Preston, Jennifer
"Man of the House"
''

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 ...

'', February 4, 1996. Accessed February 10, 2013. "He and his wife, Betsy, have owned their three-acre farm in Pittsgrove Township since 1974, when they traded in their Gloucester City row house for the rural life." For six years he served as Assembly speaker with

Donald DiFrancesco Donald Thomas DiFrancesco (born November 20, 1944) is a retired American politician who served as the 51st governor of New Jersey from 2001 to 2002. He succeeded Christine Todd Whitman after her resignation to become Administrator of the Enviro ...

serving as

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, ...

President. Collins explored a campaign for

in the 2001 Republican primary against DiFrancesco (then Acting Governor) but ultimately decided against running. DiFrancesco would be forced to withdraw from the primary after questions about his business dealings. Collins retired from the General Assembly in January 2002 after serving 16 years. He joined the Princeton Public Affairs Group, a prominent lobbying firm, as senior counsel.Reeves, Hope
"Ex-Speaker Joins Lobbying Firm"
''

'', March 22, 2002. Accessed February 10, 2013. "Mr. Collins, 58, joined the Princeton Public Affairs Group in Trenton as senior counsel." Collins and his wife Betsy have resided on a farm in Pittsgrove Township since 1974. He has four children and ten grandchildren.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Jack 1943 births Living people Speakers of the New Jersey General Assembly Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly New Jersey lawyers Sportspeople from Atlantic City, New Jersey Gloucester Catholic High School alumni People from Gloucester City, New Jersey People from Pittsgrove Township, New Jersey Rowan University alumni Rutgers School of Law–Camden alumni