Herbert C. Klein (June 24, 1930 – November 24, 2023) was an American businessman, attorney, and politician who represented

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 ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for one term from 1993 to 1995.

Early life and education

Klein was born in

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. He received his BA from

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

in 1950 and a JD from Harvard Law School in 1952, as well as an

LLM A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

in 1958. Klein served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

from 1954 to 1956, where he was assigned to the

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wr ...

near

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

. Admitted to the bar in 1953, he commenced the practice of law in Passaic, New Jersey, and in 1961 founded the First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey.

Political career

Herb and Jacqueline Klein with Joe and Jill Biden

After defeating incumbent Joseph Scancarella in 1971, Klein served as a member of 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 1972 to 1976. There, he authored the law that created the

New Jersey Economic Development Authority The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) is an independent government entity in the U.S. state of New Jersey dedicated to broadening and expanding the state's economic base. The EDA creates public-private partnerships to provide access ...

. In the Assembly, was co-counsel on a bond issue for

New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) is an independent authority established by the State of New Jersey in 1971 to oversee the Meadowlands Sports Complex, but which now contains the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, a regulatory ...

, and worked for the introduction of

state income tax In addition to Federal government of the United States, federal Income tax in the United States, income tax collected by the United States, most individual U.S. states collect a state income tax. Some local governments also impose an income tax, ...

. He also served as Executive Director of the Passaic County Democratic Committee from 1977 to 1981. He was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the

103rd United States Congress The 103rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 19 ...

in 1992 to succeed retiring eleven-term incumbent

Robert Roe Robert Aloysius Roe (February 28, 1924 – July 15, 2014) was an American Democratic Party politician who represented New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives from November 4, 1969 to January 3, 1993. Early life and education R ...

in the historically Democratic eighth district.

Tenure in Congress

During his tenure in the

, Klein was a leader on the

House Banking Committee The United States House Committee on Financial Services, also referred to as the House Banking Committee and previously known as the Committee on Banking and Currency, is the committee of the United States House of Representatives that oversees t ...

, where he was responsible for several legislative initiatives. He co-authored the bills that authorized interstate branch banking and was the architect of the provision which sparked passage of the legislation that ended the problems in the savings and loan industry. Klein also served on the House Science Committee, where he co-authored the National Competitiveness Act which helped to strengthen American industry. Klein was defeated for re-election by Clifton city councilman and Passaic County freeholder Bill Martini, making him one of 54 Democrats to lose their seats in the 1994 Congressional Elections.

Business and legal career

Klein obtained one of the largest civil verdicts on behalf of a plaintiff in New Jersey in ''Laganella v. Braen''.

Affiliations

Klein served continuously as a

Trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...

of the First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey from 1961 onwards, leading the Trust as President from 1991 to 1993. He was once a member of the Board of Trustees of

, likewise once President of the Board of Trustees of Beth Israel Hospital, as well as a member of the Governor's Committee for the New Jersey Development Council, a member of the Board of Overseers of the Rutgers University Foundation, a member of the Executive Committee of the board of directors of the Rutgers University Foundation, Chairman of the President's Council of the Rutgers University Foundation, a member of the Board of Trustees of the

Montclair Art Museum The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) is located in Montclair, New Jersey, United States, a few miles west of New York City. Since it opened in 1914 as the first museum in New Jersey that granted access to the public and the first dedicated solely to a ...

, and a member of the board of directors of multiple philanthropic organizations.

Personal life and death

Klein married Jacqueline Krieger in 1952, and had a son and a daughter. His wife died in 2017. Herb Klein died on November 24, 2023, at the age of 93, and was buried in King Solomon Memorial Park in

Clifton, New Jersey Clifton is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Criss-crossed by several major highways, the city is a regional commercial hub for North Jersey and is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan Area. As ...

on November 26. Eulogies were delivered by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Congressman Bill Pascrell among others. On November 28, 2023, the United States House of Representatives held a moment of silence in honor of Klein.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Herbert 1930 births 2023 deaths Jewish American military personnel Politicians from Clifton, New Jersey Harvard Law School alumni Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Politicians from Newark, New Jersey Rutgers University alumni United States Air Force officers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent American people of Belarusian-Jewish descent Lawyers from Newark, New Jersey Military personnel from Newark, New Jersey 21st-century American Jews Members of Congress who became lobbyists 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American politicians