Martin L. Greenberg (February 24, 1932 – March 22, 2024) was an American

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 and jurist who served in the

New Jersey State 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, ...

from 1974 to 1979.

Education and early career

Greenberg was born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 24, 1932. His family later moved to

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Weequahic High School Weequahic High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in the Weequahic section of Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The school is operated by the Newar ...

, where his classmate in the class of 1950 was author

Philip Roth Philip Milton Roth (March 19, 1933 – May 22, 2018) was an American novelist and short story writer. Roth's fiction—often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey—is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophicall ...

. He was a 1954 graduate of

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

and received his law degree from

Rutgers Law School 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 ...

in 1956. He served as an Assistant Counsel to Governor

Robert B. Meyner Robert Baumle Meyner (July 3, 1908 – May 27, 1990) was an American Democratic Party politician and attorney who served as the 44th governor of New Jersey from 1954 to 1962. Before being elected governor, Meyner represented Warren County in t ...

and as Assistant Essex County Prosecutor. Greenberg was a law partner of 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 privat ...

at Teltser, Byrne, Greenberg, Margolis & Franconero. In 1973, while a candidate for State Senator, Greenberg was named Political Director of Brendan Byrne's campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

New Jersey State Senator

Greenberg was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for State Senator in 1971. He was elected to the State Senate in 1973, defeating Republican Joseph Galluzzi, the President of the Irvington Town Council, by 8,689 votes, 22,290 (60.31%) to 13,601 (36.80%). He was re-elected to a second term in 1977, defeating Rev. James A. Pindar, a Catholic priest and a professor at

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a 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 oldest diocesan un ...

, 16,986 (57.80%) to 11,399 (38.79%), with former Democratic State Senator Nicholas Fernicola, running as an Independent, receiving 770 votes (2.62%). During his six years as a Senator, Greenberg served as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Greenberg resigned from the Senate in 1979 to become President and General Counsel to the Golden Nugget casino to assist in its efforts to obtain a gambling license 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 ...

Later career

After leaving the casino industry, he was appointed by Governor

Jim Florio James Joseph Florio (August 29, 1937 – September 25, 2022) was an American politician who served as the 49th governor of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994. He was previously the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 1st congressional district from 19 ...

to serve as the General Counsel to the

New Jersey Turnpike Authority The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) is a state agency responsible for maintaining the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, which are two toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The agency is headquartered in Woodbridge Towns ...

. Florio appointed him to serve as a

New Jersey Superior Court The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with statewide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The New Jersey Constitution of 1947 establishes the power of the New Jersey courts.Jeffrey S. Mandel, New Jersey Appellate Pra ...

Judge in 1992. He was the Presiding Judge in Hudson County, and served in the Chancery, General Equity, and Probate divisions. After retiring from the bench in 2003, Greenberg became of counsel at Walder Hayden.

Death

Greenberg died on March 22, 2024, at the age of 92. His daughter Jen serves as a

South Orange South Orange, officially the Township of South Orange Village, is a suburban township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the village's population was 16,198, reflecting a decline of 766 (4.5%) fro ...

village trustee.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenberg, Martin L. 1932 births 2024 deaths Democratic Party New Jersey state senators New Jersey lawyers New Jersey state court judges American prosecutors People from Brooklyn Rutgers University alumni Politicians from Newark, New Jersey Lawyers from Newark, New Jersey Weequahic High School alumni 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American legislators 21st-century American judges 21st-century American lawyers