Charles Samuel Joelson (January 27, 1916 – August 17, 1999) was an American lawyer and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

. Joelson, a Democrat, succeeded Gordon Canfield as the

Representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

for New Jersey's 8th District for eight years, lasting from 1961 until his resignation on September 4, 1969, when he became a judge in the Superior Court of

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 ...

Background

Joelson was born and raised in a

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

ish family in Paterson, New Jersey. After graduating from

Montclair Academy Montclair Kimberley Academy (MKA) is a co-educational private school for students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade located in Montclair in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. One of New Jersey's largest independent day schools, ...

, he went on to college and attended

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

. After graduating

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in 1937, Joelson went to attend the university's law school. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

degree in 1939, and was admitted to the bar in 1940. He first started his law practice in Paterson, New Jersey and continued until 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 ...

in 1942. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Joelson served as an ensign in the Far Eastern Branch of the

Office of Naval Intelligence The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) is the military intelligence agency of the United States Navy. Established in 1882 primarily to advance the Navy's modernization efforts, it is the oldest member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and serve ...

, where he learned and mastered the

Japanese language is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been ...

. After the war, Joelson first ran for the House seat in

New Jersey's 8th congressional district New Jersey's 8th congressional district is currently represented by Democrat Rob Menendez, who has served in Congress since January 2023. The district is majority Hispanic and includes some of the most urban areas of New Jersey, including par ...

against incumbent Gordon Canfield. In a close election, Canfield captured 59,191 votes, just 148 more than Joelson, and was proclaimed the winner of the election. Joelson then served on Paterson's city counsel from 1949 to 1952.

Politics and Superior Court

He then served as deputy Attorney General in

's criminal investigation division for three years, starting in 1954. That same year, he again ran for the

seat for New Jersey's 8th District, but again lost to

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

Gordon Canfield. Joelson received 45.1% of the vote, in comparison to Canfield's 54.8%. Afterwards, Joelson then went on to the Passaic County's Prosecutor's Office and then became the director of the state's criminal investigation division and served that post from 1958 to 1960. He won the seat for New Jersey's 8th District's in the November 1960 election. Canfield was not a candidate for renomination in 1960, and so Joelson was pitted against Republican Walter P. Kennedy. Joelson won the election by nearly 14,000 votes, capturing a 52%-43.8% majority. He was sworn into the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

on January 3, 1961. As Congressman, one of Joelson's achievements was a piece of legislation in 1969 that saved many school libraries. The legislation appropriated over a billion dollars for public school libraries, remedial programs and guidance counseling. After his resignation, then-state cabinet member Robert A. Roe was elected as a Democrat by special election on November 4, 1969, to fill the vacancy left by Joelson. Joelson had asked the state's governor at the time, Richard J. Hughes for a seat in the

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 Pr ...

. He served on the bench for fifteen years, spending time in the

Chancery Division The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (England ...

and the Appellate Division, before retiring in 1984. A resident of

Paramus Paramus ( Waggoner, Walter H ''The New York Times'', February 16, 1966. Accessed October 16, 2018. "Paramus – pronounced puh-RAHM-us, with the accent on the second syllable – may have taken its name from 'perremus' or 'perymus,' Indian for ...

, Joelson died at the age of 83 in

Freehold Township, New Jersey Freehold Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is both a regional commercial hub for Central Jersey, Central New Jersey (home to the Freehold ...

on August 17, 1999.

References

External links

Biography
at the '' Biographical Directory of the United States Congress''
The Political Graveyard profile for Charles Joelson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joelson, Charles S. Jewish American military personnel United States Navy personnel of World War II New Jersey state court judges Cornell Law School alumni 1916 births 1999 deaths Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives Montclair Kimberley Academy alumni People from Freehold Borough, New Jersey People from Paramus, New Jersey Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey Politicians from Paterson, New Jersey People of the Office of Naval Intelligence 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American judges 20th-century American Jews

Background

Politics and Superior Court

See also

References

External links