John James Fay Jr. (June 8, 1927 – October 28, 2003) was an American schoolteacher turned

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

politician who served on the Middlesex County

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 ...

and represented the 19th Legislative District 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 ...

from 1968 to 1974 and the New Jersey Senate from 1974 to 1978. As State Senator he was an advocate for the elderly in nursing homes and boarding houses, creating the post of Office of the Ombudsman for the Institutionalized Elderly within the

New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate The New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate was a department within the Executive branch of the government of New Jersey that acted as a voice on behalf of the people of the state. It was responsible to make government "more accountable and r ...

and serving as the first ombudsman in the post after losing a re-election bid in 1977. Fay was born on June 8, 1927, in

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, where he graduated from St. Patrick High School. He enlisted 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 ...

where he served as part of an

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. After completing his military service, Fay attended

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the ...

where he majored in political history and science, and earned both a bachelor's and a master's. He taught history and economics at Linden High School for 20 years, starting in 1958.Martin, Douglas
"John J. Fay Jr., 76, Ombudsman For the Elderly of New Jersey"
''

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'', October 29, 2003. Accessed July 7, 2010. His first elected office was on the Woodbridge Township council, where he served from 1964 to 1966. He was elected in 1966 to serve on the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Fay was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1968 and became a member of the New Jersey Senate in 1974. Fay drafted legislation that created the Office of the Ombudsman for the Institutionalized Elderly within the New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate, which is responsible for investing claims of abuse of those over age 60 in long-term care facilities. In the 1977 Democratic primaries,

Laurence S. Weiss Laurence S. Weiss (May 6, 1919 – December 27, 2003) was a Hungarian-born American politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 1978 to 1992, where he represented the 19th Legislative District, which covers portions of Middlesex Coun ...

defeated Fay, and went on to win election. After Fay left office 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 priva ...

named him in 1978 as the office's first ombudsman, a position he held until 1984. Other legislation Fay sponsored included campaign finance reform and

farmland preservation Farmland preservation is a joint effort by non-governmental organizations and local governments to set aside and protect examples of a region's farmland for the use, education, and enjoyment of future generations. They are operated mostly at state a ...

. ''

'' posted its regrets at his departure from the Senate, calling him "a man of sardonic wit and considerable erudition". After a fire in a home for the elderly in Bradley Beach killed 23 on July 26, 1980, advocated on behalf of new legislation to protect the residents of boarding and rooming houses. Fay served as a mentor to

Jim McGreevey James Edward McGreevey (born August 6, 1957) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 52nd governor of New Jersey from 2002 until his resignation in 2004 following the revelation of his extramarital affair ...

, who would later serve in the Assembly and State Senate before becoming

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. After Fay's death, McGreevey recalled him as "a tremendous friend, a role model, a mentor, a statesman... a person of uncommon decency, integrity and courage." Fay died at age 76 on October 28, 2003, of pancreatic cancer. He was survived by his wife, Carol Brown. Woodbridge Township awards the John J. Fay Jr. Civic Award for dedicated public service on an annual basis, an award named in his memory, to residents who have served in elected or appointed office and served the community as a volunteer.Hagerty, John R
"Woodbridge Council Names Former Assemblyman Ernie Oros as 2009 Leader"
''

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'', May 11, 2009. Accessed July 7, 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fay, John J. Jr. 1927 births 2003 deaths Deaths from cancer in New Jersey Deaths from pancreatic cancer New Jersey city council members County commissioners in New Jersey Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Democratic Party New Jersey state senators People from Woodbridge Township, New Jersey Politicians from Middlesex County, New Jersey Seton Hall University alumni The Patrick School alumni United States Navy sailors 20th-century American politicians