William E. Ozzard (June 15, 1915 — June 29, 2002) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

politician who served for 13 years in 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 ...

, serving as

New Jersey 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, ...

President in 1963. He was President of the

New Jersey Board of Public Utilities The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) is a regulatory authority in New Jersey "with authority to oversee the regulated utilities, which in turn provide critical services such as natural gas, electricity, water, telecommunications and ca ...

from 1970 to 1973.

Biography

Ozzard was born in 1915 in Weehawken, New Jersey. He grew up in

Bound Brook, New Jersey Bound Brook is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, located along the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 10,402,Bound Brook High School Bound Brook High School is a comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Bound Brook, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Bound ...

, graduating in 1931. He graduated from Rutgers University and New York University Law School. He was admitted to the New Jersey bar and joined the

Somerville Somerville may refer to: *Somerville College, Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford Places *Somerville, Victoria, Australia * Somerville, Western Australia, a suburb of Kalgoorlie, Australia * Somerville, New Zealand, a subur ...

law firm of Beekman & Beekman, where he later became a partner. In World War II, Ozzard served as a first lieutenant in the United States Army. He received the

Army Commendation Ribbon The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

, the European Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the Army of Occupation Medal and two battle stars. Ozzard was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly from Somerset County in 1953. In 1957, he succeeded

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 capitalism ...

in the

when Forbes ran for Governor of New Jersey. He served as Senate President in 1963 and was Acting Governor in the absence of 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 ...

. He left the Senate in 1967 and was appointed by Governor Hughes as a Commissioner of the

. In 1969, Ozzard unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for Governor of New Jersey. He lost the Republican primary to

William T. Cahill William Thomas Cahill (June 25, 1912July 1, 1996) was an American politician, lawyer, and academic who served as the 46th governor of New Jersey from 1970 to 1974. A Republican, Cahill previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, repr ...

, also finishing behind U.S. Rep. Charles W. Sandman, Jr., State Sen.

Harry L. Sears Harry Lloyd Sears (January 16, 1920 – May 17, 2002) was an American lawyer and Republican Party politician who served for 10 years in the New Jersey Legislature. As State Majority Leader he was the Chairman of the New Jersey Committee to re-e ...

, and State Sen.

Frank X. McDermott Francis "Frank" X. McDermott (October 15, 1924 – December 15, 2011) was an American Republican Party politician who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature. Biography McDermott was born in New York City in 1924. He received a Bache ...

. Cahill went on to win the general election and in 1970 appointed Ozzard to be president of the Board of Public Utility Commissioners. He served until 1973. Ozzard was admitted to the Florida bar in 1975. He died on June 29, 2002 at the age of 87. He was buried in Somerset Hills Memorial Park. He was included in the first nominating class of the Bound Brook High School Alumni Hall of Fame upon its creation in 2003.Staff
"Manville Bound Brook news"
'' Courier News (New Jersey)'', November 12, 2003. Accessed March 8, 2011.

References

External links

William E. Ozzard
at The Political Graveyard
Bound Brook High School Alumni Association and Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ozzard, William E. 1915 births 2002 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II New Jersey lawyers Republican Party New Jersey state senators New York University School of Law alumni People from Bound Brook, New Jersey People from Weehawken, New Jersey Presidents of the New Jersey Senate Rutgers University alumni State cabinet secretaries of New Jersey United States Army officers 20th-century American politicians Bound Brook High School alumni 20th-century American lawyers Military personnel from New Jersey