Nicholas J. LaRocca (October 4, 1913 – August 30, 1999) was an American

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

politician who served in both houses of 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 ...

from the 33rd district. He served a partial term in the

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, ...

succeeding his mentor William Musto and then a single term in 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 for ...

. LaRocca was born in 1913 in Union City where he attended the local public schools. He graduated from

Fordham College Fordham may refer to: Education * Fordham Preparatory School, an all-male, Jesuit high school in New York City * Fordham University, a Jesuit university in New York City ** Fordham Rams, athletic teams of the above university ** Fordham Universi ...

in 1934 and received a law degree 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, the ...

in 1937. He worked as a legislative aide for State Senator (and Union City Mayor) William Musto at the time of Musto's removal from the Senate for his conviction on receiving kickbacks from a developer. LaRocca was essentially handpicked by Musto to be the Democratic nominee for the special election to fill the remaining 1.5 years of the Senate term. In his first bid for elected office, LaRocca defeated independent Libero Marotta,

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Dennis Teti, and independent Carlos Munoz in a June 23, 1982, special election. In the next regular election in 1983, LaRocca and then-Assemblyman

Christopher Jackman Christopher J. Jackman (July 12, 1916 – January 28, 1991) was an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey, who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature. He was Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly from 1978 until 198 ...

switched seats where Jackman ran for Senate and LaRocca ran for Assembly. Both won their respective races. After serving alongside

Robert Ranieri Robert A. Ranieri (born February 25, 1929) was an American Democratic Party politician who represented the 33rd legislative district in the New Jersey General Assembly. Early life Ranieri was born in 1929 in Hoboken, New Jersey, and attended ...

for one term from the 33rd district, LaRocca did not seek reelection in 1985. He died on August 30, 1999, aged 85.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:LaRocca, Nicholas 1913 births 1999 deaths Fordham University alumni New York University alumni New Jersey lawyers Politicians from Union City, New Jersey Democratic Party New Jersey state senators Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers People from Union City, New Jersey