Samuel Louis Bodine (January 22, 1900 – September 15, 1958) was an American Republican Party

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 ...

who served in the New Jersey Senate and as chairman of the

New Jersey Republican State Committee The New Jersey Republican State Committee (NJGOP) is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in New Jersey. It was founded in 1880 and is currently led by Bob Hugin. Current leadership * Bob Hugin, Chairman * Lynda A. Pagliughli, V ...

Biography

Bodine was born in Pittstown, New Jersey in 1900 to Amplius B.C. and Ellen Schenk (Hoagland) Bodine. He was raised in Flemington, where his father had established the Bodine Lumber Company in 1895. He was educated in Flemington schools and then attended

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...

, where he was awarded a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in 1920. After graduation, he joined his father's lumber company. He married Ida Rittenhouse Stryker on July 6, 1932, and they had one child, Samuel (known as Tony), born January 14, 1934.Myers, William Starr. ''The Story of New Jersey'' (1945). Reprinted a
''Prominent Families of New Jersey''
(Genealogical Publishing Company, 2000).
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', September 16, 1958. Accessed March 29, 2008. Bodine served as Mayor of Flemington, New Jersey from 1928 to 1936 and went on to serve on the

Hunterdon County Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 128,947, making it the state's 18th-most populous 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 ...

from 1937 to 1942. In 1943 he was elected to the New Jersey Senate, where he served until 1953. In the Senate he was majority leader for one year and served another as Senate President and acting Governor. In April 1953 Bodine was selected as chairman of the

Paul L. Troast Paul Lyman Troast (November 19, 1894 – July 21, 1972) was a wealthy American building contractor from Passaic, New Jersey, chairman of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority during its construction, and failed gubernatorial candidate in 1953. B ...

, then the Republican nominee 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 r ...

. He was credited with uniting party factions after Troast lost in a landslide to

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 ...

, as well as bringing the party together to support the nomination of Clifford P. Case for

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in 1954."Jersey G.O.P. Conciliator"
''

'', April 24, 1957. Accessed March 29, 2008. In 1957 Republican gubernatorial nominee

Malcolm Forbes Malcolm Stevenson Forbes (August 19, 1919 – February 24, 1990) was an American entrepreneur most prominently known as the publisher of ''Forbes'' magazine, founded by his father B. C. Forbes. He was known as an avid promoter of capitalis ...

sought to remove him from the party chairmanship, but Forbes backed down from this move after Bodine was given strong support from county chairmen and he was reelected. He died of a heart ailment the following year at Point Pleasant Hospital at the age of 58.

References

External links

Biographical information for Samuel L. Bodine
from

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations o ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bodine, Samuel L. 1900 births 1958 deaths Chairmen of the New Jersey Republican State Committee Lafayette College alumni Mayors of places in New Jersey County commissioners in New Jersey Politicians from Hunterdon County, New Jersey Republican Party New Jersey state senators People from Flemington, New Jersey Presidents of the New Jersey Senate 20th-century American politicians