Jeffrey Scott Chiesa ( ; born June 22, 1965) is an American lawyer and politician who served as a
United States Senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
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 ...
from June 10 to October 31, 2013. As a member of the
Republican Party, he previously served as the 59th
Attorney General of New Jersey
The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confirmed by the New Jersey Senate, and term limited. ...
from January 10, 2012 until June 6, 2013.
Prior to his tenure as New Jersey Attorney General, he served as Chief Counsel to
New Jersey Governor
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 ...
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 Ne ...
. Christie announced on June 6, 2013 that he would appoint Chiesa to the United States Senate seat that was vacated by the death of Democratic Senator
Frank Lautenberg
Frank Raleigh Lautenberg (; January 23, 1924 June 3, 2013) was an American businessman and Democratic Party politician who served as United States Senator from New Jersey from 1982 to 2001, and again from 2003 until his death in 2013. He was orig ...
;
four days later, Chiesa was sworn in.
He declined to run for the remainder of the Senate term in the
2013 special election, which was subsequently won by Democrat
Cory Booker
Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the junior United States senator from New Jersey since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Booker is the first African-American U.S. sena ...
, Mayor of
Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
.
Chiesa is the most recent Republican to serve as a U.S. Senator from New Jersey.
Early life, education and early law career
Chiesa grew up in
Bound Brook, New Jersey
Bound Brook is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, located along the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 10,402,[Bound Brook High School
Bound Brook High School is a comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Bound Brook, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Bound ...]
and graduated from the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
in 1987 with a
Bachelor of Business Administration
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a bachelor's degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of business administration and usually including advanced ...
degree in accounting. He earned his
J.D. from the
Columbus School of Law
The Columbus School of Law, also known as Catholic Law or CUA Law, is the law school of the Catholic University of America, a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C.
More than 400 Juris Doctor students attend Catholic Law ...
at
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution ...
in 1990.
In 1988, Chiesa joined the
Cranford law firm of Dughi, Hewit & Palatucci (now known as Dughi & Hewit). There he met and befriended
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 Ne ...
, who had joined the firm the year before.
U.S. Attorney's Office
In 2002, he followed Christie to the office of the
United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey
The U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey is the chief federal law enforcement officer in New Jersey. On December 16, 2021, Philip R. Sellinger was sworn in as U.S. Attorney. The U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey has jurisd ...
, where he led a number of the office's high-profile public corruption cases, including the one against former
State Senate
A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...
President
John A. Lynch Jr.
John A. Lynch Jr. (born October 21, 1938) is an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician from New Jersey, who served in the New Jersey Senate from 1982 to 2002, where he represented the 17th Legislative District (New ...
[ He served as Counsel to the U.S. Attorney, Chief of the Public Protection Unit, and Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney. He left in 2009 to become a partner in the firm of Wolff & Samson.][
]
Chief Counsel to Governor Christie
In 2009, after Christie was elected 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 ...
, Chiesa headed his transition team. Christie then named Chiesa his chief counsel.[ In June 2010, Christie sent him to speak to Republican Assemblyman ]Michael Patrick Carroll
Michael Patrick Carroll (born April 8, 1958) is an American Republican Party (United States), Republican Party politician from New Jersey. He represented the New Jersey's 25th legislative district, 25th Legislative District in the New Jersey Ge ...
, to persuade him to drop his opposition to the budget because it cut proportionally more aid to suburban schools than to urban ones.
Attorney General of New Jersey
On December 12, 2011, Governor Christie nominated Chiesa to succeed Paula Dow
Paula T. Dow (born 1955) served as the 58th Attorney General of New Jersey, appointed by incoming Governor Chris Christie. Her nomination to a full term was confirmed by the New Jersey Senate in February 2010. She is the first African-American wom ...
as Attorney General of New Jersey
The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confirmed by the New Jersey Senate, and term limited. ...
. Chiesa was sworn in as Dow's successor on January 10, 2012.
Chiesa supported mandatory drug rehab
Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin or amphetamines. The general intent ...
treatment for non-violent drug offenders and holding violent defendants without bail. In January 2012, he proposed a comprehensive program to crack down on prescription drug abuse addictions and overdoses.
In February 2012, he helped deliver $837.7 million to distressed homeowners of New Jersey from a settlement with major banks. The state had 10.6% of homeowners who are 90 or more days delinquent on their mortgage, the third-highest percentage in the nation at the time.
In April 2012, he announced the arrest of three men accused of theft at several Home Depot
The Home Depot, Inc., is an American multinational corporation, multinational home improvement retail corporation that sells tools, construction products, appliances, and services, including fuel and transportation rentals. Home Depot is the l ...
stores across five states: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and New York. They were "under-ringing" their purchases at self-checkout machines and were charged with more than 500 illegal transactions totaling more than $100,000. In the same month, he announced the arrests of 27 people in a major child pornography
Child pornography (also called CP, child sexual abuse material, CSAM, child porn, or kiddie porn) is pornography that unlawfully exploits children for sexual stimulation. It may be produced with the direct involvement or sexual assault of a chi ...
incident, that required the involvement of more than 100 law enforcement officers for "Operation Watchdog". He also filed a lawsuit against John Kot and Gabriel R. DaSilva of leading home improvement companies for defrauding people and breaking several laws.
U.S. Senate
On June 6, 2013, 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 Ne ...
announced that he would appoint Chiesa, a resident of Branchburg, New Jersey
Branchburg is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 14,459, reflecting a decline of 107 (−0.7%) from the 14,566 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased ...
, to succeed recently deceased United States Senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
Frank Lautenberg
Frank Raleigh Lautenberg (; January 23, 1924 June 3, 2013) was an American businessman and Democratic Party politician who served as United States Senator from New Jersey from 1982 to 2001, and again from 2003 until his death in 2013. He was orig ...
. Chiesa announced that he would not seek election to the seat in the 2013 special election. In the news conference, he said that "I'm a conservative Republican, generally speaking." In regard to immigration reform
Immigration reform is change to the current immigration policy of a country. In its strict definition, ''reform'' means "to change into an improved form or condition, by amending or removing faults or abuses". In the political sense, "immigration ...
, he stated, "I think the first thing we have to do is make sure the borders are secure."
Chiesa resigned as Attorney General on June 6, 2013, and Executive Assistant Attorney General John Jay Hoffman
John Hoffman was acting attorney general of the State of New Jersey. He served from 2013 to 2016, longer than any other acting attorney general in the state's history.
Background
Hoffman was born August 23, 1965, to Judith and John A. Hoffman. H ...
became acting Attorney General. Chiesa was sworn into the Senate on June 10, 2013, by Vice President Joe Biden. Chiesa was the first Republican senator to represent New Jersey since 1982 when then-Governor Thomas Kean
Thomas Howard Kean ( ; born April 21, 1935) is an American businessman, academic administrator and politician. A member of the Republican Party, Kean served as the 48th governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990. Following his tenure as governor, ...
appointed Nicholas F. Brady
Nicholas Frederick Brady (born April 11, 1930) is an American politician from the state of New Jersey, who was the United States Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, and is also known for articulating ...
to the Senate in order to fill a vacancy; in that case, the seat was subsequently won by Lautenberg for the first time.
Chiesa's vote was seen as crucial to the passing of the . John McCain
John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...
joked that "I'm going to subject him to intense interrogation—I may waterboard the guy. Or maybe tell him that he's either going to support this legislation or hire someone to start his car in the morning." He ultimately voted for the bill, which prompted conservative commentator Ann Coulter
Ann Hart Coulter (; born December 8, 1961) is an American conservative media pundit, author, syndicated columnist, and lawyer. She became known as a media pundit in the late 1990s, appearing in print and on cable news as an outspoken critic of ...
to proclaim that Christie was "dead to me" for appointing Chiesa to the Senate. In July 2013, he signed the Mike Lee letter which called for an amendment to the continuing resolution
In the United States, a continuing resolution (often abbreviated to CR) is a type of appropriations legislation. An appropriations bill is a bill that appropriates (gives to, sets aside for) money to specific federal government departments, ag ...
that would defund the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presi ...
. He opposed Democratic attempts to reinsert funding for the Affordable Care Act but ultimately voted for the Reid-McConnell bill to end the shutdown.
He used his time in the Senate to try to draw attention to the issue of human trafficking
Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extrac ...
and, according to ''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', voted with his party 84% of the time. He left the Senate on October 31, 2013 when Newark Mayor Cory Booker
Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the junior United States senator from New Jersey since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Booker is the first African-American U.S. sena ...
, who won the special election, was sworn in. Chiesa recorded a tenure of 129 days, the fourth-shortest of the 65 U.S. Senators who have served in New Jersey's history.
Chiesa ruled out the possibility of running for the seat in the regularly scheduled 2014 election, but said he would consider running for office in the future.
Committee assignments
*Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
The United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is a standing committee of the United States Senate. Besides having broad jurisdiction over all matters concerning interstate commerce, science and technology policy, a ...
** Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance
*Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
The United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is the chief oversight committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over matters related to the Department of Homeland Security and other homeland s ...
* Committee on Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Atlantic City state takeover
Chiesa was appointed by Christie to oversee the state takeover of 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 ...
in 2016. His private firm is to bill the state for their services.
References
External links
*
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chiesa, Jeffrey S.
1965 births
Columbus School of Law alumni
Living people
People from Bound Brook, New Jersey
People from Branchburg, New Jersey
New Jersey Attorneys General
New Jersey Republicans
Republican Party United States senators from New Jersey
Mendoza College of Business alumni
21st-century American politicians
Bound Brook High School alumni