Charles Rosenbury Erdman Jr. (August 25, 1897 – October 15, 1984) was an American Republican Party politician who served as

Mayor of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton was founded by Europeans in the latter part of the 17th century. Because of a dispute over school taxes, the municipality split into the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, Borough of Princeton and Township (New Je ...

and Chairman of the

New Jersey Republican State Committee The New Jersey Republican Party (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 * Darlene Shotmeyer, Vice Chai ...

Biography

Erdman was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

to Charles R. and Estelle P. (Pardee) Erdman in 1897 and moved with his parents to

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

in 1905.Myers, William Starr. ''The Story of New Jersey'' (1945). Reprinted a
''Prominent Families of New Jersey''
(Genealogical Publishing Company, 2000)."Charles Erdman, Ex-Mayor of Princeton and G.O.P. Chief"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', October 16, 1984. Accessed March 25, 2008. He attended the

Lawrenceville School The Lawrenceville School is a Private school, private, coeducational College-preparatory school, preparatory school for boarding and day students located in the Local government in New Jersey, unincorporated community of Lawrenceville, New Jers ...

and then

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

. His studies were interrupted by

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, during which time he served with the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

Aviation Corps. Returning to Princeton, he was captain of the track team in 1919 and 1920 and intercollegiate hurdle champion. After receiving his

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

degree in 1920, he went on to postgraduate work in political science, also at Princeton. He received his

M.A. A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in 1924 and his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

degree in 1928. He married Lucy Bulkley (April 22, 1901 – May 1995) on June 14, 1922. Erdman was assistant professor in the Princeton department of politics from 1928 until 1935, and then served as a research associate for the Princeton Local Government Survey from 1935 to 1940. In 1940, he was appointed by 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 ...

as director of the Municipal Aid Administration, and he became Commissioner of Economic Development in 1944. He authored two books on the

New Jersey State Constitution The Constitution of the State of New Jersey is the basic governing document of the State of New Jersey. In addition to three British Royal Charters issued for East Jersey, West Jersey and united New Jersey while they were still colonies, the sta ...

, arguing for reform: ''The New Jersey Constitution of 1776'' (Princeton, 1929) and ''The New Jersey Constitution: A Barrier to Governmental Efficiency and Economy'' (Princeton, 1934). In the 1940s he worked to update the State Constitution, serving as secretary of the Constitutional Revision Commission. Erdman served six terms as

between 1936 and 1949. In 1949 he was appointed Commissioner of the newly created New Jersey Department of Conservation and Economic Development, serving until 1954. During his term of office he acquired large tracts for use as public lands, including

Wharton State Forest Wharton State Forest is the largest state forest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the largest single tract of land in the state park system of New Jersey, encompassing approximately of the Pinelands northeast of Hammonton. Its protect ...

in the

Pine Barrens Pine barrens, pine plains, sand plains, or pineland areas occur throughout the U.S. from Florida to Maine (see Atlantic coastal pine barrens) as well as the Midwest, West, and Canada and parts of Eurasia. Perhaps the most well known pine-barre ...

and stretches of beaches on the

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore, commonly called the Shore by locals, is the coast, coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The term encompasses about of shore, oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Perth Amboy in the n ...

. In 1958, Erdman was elected as Chairman of the

, succeeding the late Samuel L. Bodine. Erdman won over

Webster B. Todd Webster Bray Todd (August 27, 1899 – February 8, 1989) was an American businessman, a Republican Party leader in New Jersey, and the father of New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman. Early life Todd was born in Yonkers, New York, the son o ...

, with the backing of U.S. Senator Clifford P. Case and State Senator Walter H. Jones of

Bergen County Bergen County is the List of counties in New Jersey, most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.James P. Mitchell in that year's campaign for

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...

."G.O.P's Chairman in Jersey Resigns"
''

'', April 7, 1961. Accessed March 25, 2008. Erdman died in 1984 at his home in Princeton at the age of 87 after battling

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

for several years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erdman, Charles R. Jr. 1897 births 1984 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in New Jersey Chairmen of the New Jersey Republican State Committee Mayors of Princeton, New Jersey Politicians from Philadelphia Princeton University alumni