Anthony M. Imperiale Sr. (July 10, 1931 – December 27, 1999) was a member of 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 ...

from

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.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.United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. In the 1960s he opposed forced race-integration busing in the United States.

1967 Newark riots

During the

1967 Newark riots The 1967 Newark riots were an episode of violent, armed conflict in the streets of Newark, New Jersey, United States. Taking place over a four-day period (between July 12 and July 17, 1967), the Newark riots resulted in at least 26 deaths and ...

, Imperiale advocated armed white self-defense and formed the volunteer North Ward First Aid Squad ostensibly to escort North Ward residents, most of whom were Italian-American, through racially troubled neighborhoods. The group was accused of

vigilantism Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without Right, legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a pers ...

, and Governor

Richard J. Hughes Richard Joseph Hughes (August 10, 1909December 7, 1992) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge. A Democrat, he served as the 45th governor of New Jersey from 1962 to 1970, and as Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1973 to ...

called Imperiale's followers "

Brownshirt The (; SA; literally "Storm Detachment") was the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s. Its primary purposes were providing protection for Nazi ral ...

s". At one point during the riots, Imperiale warned that "when the

Black Panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...

comes, the white hunter will be waiting." In 1969, the group disbanded.

Political career

Newark City Council

Imperiale was elected to the Newark City Council in 1968 and re-elected in 1970. In 1970, he ran for mayor, but finished third in a six-man field. He failed to advance to the run-off between incumbent mayor

Hugh Addonizio Hugh Joseph Addonizio (January 31, 1914 – February 2, 1981) was an American Democratic Party politician who was sentenced to prison for corruption. He was the 33rd Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, from 1962 to 1970, and a U.S. Congressman from ...

and

Kenneth A. Gibson Kenneth Allen Gibson (May 15, 1932 – March 29, 2019) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 36th mayor of Newark, New Jersey, from 1970 to 1986. He was the first African American elected mayor of any major city in the ...

State Assembly

Imperiale 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 ...

in 1971. Running as an independent on a "For the People" ticket, he received the most votes in a field of 7 candidates. On his arrival in the Assembly in 1972, Imperiale declined to join either major party. He went so far as to plant his seat in the aisle separating the two parties and refused to move out of the way. At the time, Democrats had a slim 40-39 advantage in the chamber.

State Senate

In 1973, Imperiale ran as an independent for 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, ...

, seeking an open seat in the newly created 30th district, which comprised Newark's East Ward, and the towns of

Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places In Australia: * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin In Canada: * Inukjuak, Quebec, or "Po ...

and Kearny. Imperiale received 24,756 votes (49%), against Democrat Gregory J. Castano with 18,286 votes (36%) and Fiore, with 7,131 votes (14%).

1974 mayoral campaign

Imperiale ran for Mayor of Newark in 1974 against incumbent Kenneth Gibson, but lost with 43.7% of the vote. He was defeated for re-election to the State Senate in 1977 against Frank E. Rodgers, the Mayor of

Harrison, New Jersey Harrison is a town in the western part of Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark, New Jersey, and is located from New York City. As of the 202 ...

Return to State Assembly

He was again elected to the State Assembly in 1979, this time as a Republican. He defeated three-term Democratic Assemblyman John F. Cali.

1981 gubernatorial campaign

He gave up his Assembly seat in 1981 to seek 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 ...

, finishing 6th in a field of 8 candidates with 5% of the vote. Later, Imperiale made unsuccessful bids for Essex County Freeholder, Essex County Sheriff, and U.S. Representative.

Personal life

After leaving office, Imperiale founded a volunteer ambulance company in Newark. As a volunteer paramedic, he was praised by his former political rivals and for his generosity, sense of humor, and commitment to equal treatment. In 1984, Imperiale's son Anthony Jr. was sentenced to nine years in prison for shooting and wounding a minor who was making noise outside his bedroom window. In 1987, Imperiale's son Michael was shot and wounded by an off-duty police officer after the two got in a car accident. He died on December 26, 1999, at

Saint Barnabas Medical Center Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center (CBMC), formerly Saint Barnabas Medical Center (SBMC), is a 597-bed non-profit teaching hospital, major teaching hospital located in Livingston, New Jersey. An affiliate of RWJBarnabas Health (formerly known as Ba ...

Livingston, New Jersey Livingston is a township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 29,366, reflecting an increase of 1,975 (+7.2%) from the ...

of complications related to kidney failure.

References

External links

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Imperiale, Anthony 1931 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American politicians United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War American politicians of Italian descent Anti-crime activists New Jersey Independents Republican Party New Jersey state senators Members of the Municipal Council of Newark