Essex County is New Jersey's largest county and its county seat, Newark, is New Jersey's largest city. Essex has been predominantly Democratic since the early 1970s. Essex was a politically competitive (swing) county for decades before that.

Essex County Executive In November 1977, Essex County voters approved a referendum to change the form of government and establish a new position of Essex County Executive.

1978-1987: Peter Shapiro (Democrat), Elected 1978. Re-elected 1982. Democratic nominee for Governor of New Jersey, 1985. Defeated for re-election, 1986.

1987-1991: Nicholas R. Amato (Republican), Elected 1986. Did not seek re-election in 1990.

1991-1994: Thomas D’Allesio (Democrat), Elected 1990. Resigned in 1994 following his conviction on federal extortion charges.

1995-2003: James W. Treffinger (Republican), Elected 1994. Re-elected 1998. Sought the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator in 2000 and 2002. Did not seek re-election in 2002.

2003-date: Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. (Democrat), Elected 2002. Re-elected 2006, 2010 and 2014.

Essex County Sheriff The Sheriff is an elected countywide position, the top law enforcement officer in the county, established by the New Jersey Constitution.

1968-1971: Ralph D'Ambola (Republican), Elected 1967. Did not seek re-election in 1970.

1971-1980: John F. Cryan (Democrat), Elected 1967. Re-elected in 1970, 1973 and 1976. Defeated for re-election in 1979.

1980-1983: Chuck Cummings (Republican), Elected 1979. Defeated for re-election in 1982.

1982-1991: Thomas J. D'Alessio (Democrat), Elected 1982. Re-elected in 1985 and 1988. Resigned in January 1991 following his election as Essex County Executive.

1991-date: Armando Fountoura (Democrat), Elected 1991. Re-elected 1994, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009 and 2012.

Essex County Clerk The Essex County Clerk is a constitutional office elected to a five-year term.

2006-date: Christopher J. Durkin (Democrat), Elected 2005, Re-elected 2010.

1996-2006: Patrick J. McNally, (Democrat) Elected 1995, Re-elected 2000. Did not seek re-election in 2005.

1991-1996: Patricia McGarry Drake (Democrat), Elected 1990. Defeated for re-election in the 1995 Democratic Primary.

1961-1991: Nicholas V. Caputo (Democrat), Elected 1960, Re-elected 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980 and 1985.

1956-1961: Anthony Giuliano (Republican), Elected 1955. Did not seek re-election in 1960, but instead ran for Register of Deeds and Mortgages.

1936-1956: Russell Gates, Republican, Elected 1935, Re-elected 1940, 1945, and 1950. Did not seek re-election in 1955.

Essex County Surrogate The Surrogate is an elected countywide position with a five-year term and acts essentially as the County Probate Court Judge.

1971: Thomas R. Farley (Republican), Appointed 1971. Defeated for a full five-year term by Nicholas R. Amato.

1971-1986: Nicholas R. Amato (Democrat), Elected 1971, Re-elected in 1976 and 1981. Amato switched parties and ran for re-election as a Republican in 1986 after Essex Democrats, at the urging of County Executive Peter Shapiro, denied him the organization line in the primary; he later switched races and defeated Shapiro in the County Executive race. Amato resigned as Surrogate to run for County Executive.

1987-1988: Earl Harris (Republican), Elected 1986. Died in office in 1988. Harris was a longtime Newark City Council President who joined the Republican ticket in 1986 to run with Amato. He defeated East Orange attorney Daniel Williams.

1988-90: Bob Cottle (Republican), Acting Surrogate following Harris' death. Defeated in General Election for full term in 1990.

1990-1993: Thomas P. Giblin (Democrat), Elected 1990. Resigned to seek the Democratic nomination for Essex County Executive.

1996-2012: Joseph P. Brennan, Jr. (Democrat), Elected 1996, Re-elected 2001 and 2006.

2012-date: Theodore N. Stevens II (Democrat), Elected in 2011.

Essex County Register of Deeds and Mortgages The Essex County Register of Deeds and Mortgages is an elected countywide position with a five-year term. Only Essex and Hudson still directly elect County Registers; the other counties have eliminated the post.

2015-date: Dana Rone (Democrat), Elected 2014. Rone is a former Newark City Councilwoman. She defeated Republican James Boydston with 74.4% of the vote.

2013-2014: William Narvaez (Democrat), became Acting Register following Thigpen's death and served until Rone took the oath of office in January 2015.

2010-2013: Philip Thigpen (Democrat), elected 2009. Thigpen, the Essex County Democratic chairman, became the replacement candidate for Register after the winner of the 2009 primary, Dwight C. Brown, died after the Democratic primary at age 62. Thigpen defeated Republican Terriann Moore-Abrams by a 69%-28% margin.

1995-2010: Carole A. Graves (Democrat), elected 1999, Re-elected 2004. Graves was the former president of the Newark Teachers Union. She was not a candidate for re-election in 2010.

1975-1995: Larrie W. Stalks (Democrat), Elected 1974, Re-elected 1979, 1984, 1989 and 1994. She was not a candidate for re-election in 1999. She defeated Republican John Taliaferro in 1974, and just narrowly won in 1979 against Republican Hymen B. Mintz. a former Assemblyman who had served as County Register from 1970 to 1975; Mintz had run on a single platform of eliminating the office.

1970-1975: Hymen B. Mintz (Republican), Elected 1969. Did not seek re-election in 1974.

1968-1970: Vacant

1960-1968: Madaline A. Williams (Democrat), Elected 1960, Re-elected 1965. Died in office in 1968.

1955-1960: Abbie W. Magee (Republican), Elected 1955.

Essex County Democratic Committee Chairman 1953-1968: Dennis F. Carey; 1968-1978: Harry Lerner; 1978-1979: May Maher; 1979-1980: Horace Gausepohl; 1980-1992: Raymond M. Durkin; 1992-1993: Thomas J. D'Alessio; 1993-2002: Thomas P. Giblin; 2002-2004: Donald M. Payne; 2004-2013: Philip Thigpen; 2013-date: LeRoy J. Jones, Jr.

Essex County Republican Committee Chairman 1971-1973: George M. Wallhauser, Jr.; 1973-1977: Frederic Remington; 1977-1982: John Renna; 1982-1983: James Piro; 1983-1986: Michael D. Francis; 1986-1996: John Renna; 1996-1997: Jeanne Parke; 1997-2011: Kevin J. O'Toole; 2011-date: Al Barlas.

Congressmen from Essex County

10th District of New Jersey 2012-date: Donald M. Payne, Jr. (Democrat), Elected 2012, Re-elected 2014. Payne was serving as an Essex County Freeholder and Newark City Councilman when he won a 2012 Special Election following the death of his father.

1989-2012: Donald M. Payne (Democrat), Elected 1988, Re-elected 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010. Died in office in 2012. 1949-1989: Peter W. Rodino (Democrat), Elected 1948, Re-elected 1950, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984 and 1986. Did not seek re-election to a 21st term in 1988. Rodino's predecessor, Republican Fred A. Hartley, Jr., was from Hudson County (Kearny).

11th District of New Jersey 1963-1985: Joseph Minish (Democrat), Elected 1962, Re-elected 1964, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980 and 1982. Defeated for re-election in 1984 by Assembly Minority Leader Dean Gallo, a Republican from Morris County (Parsippany).

1949-1963: Hugh Joseph Addonizio (Democrat), Elected 1948, Re-elected 1950, 1952, 1954, 1958 and 1960. Did not seek re-election in 1962, but instead ran for Mayor of Newark.

1943-1949: Frank Sundstrom (Republican), Elected 1942, Re-elected 1944 and 1946. Defeated for re-election by Addonizio.

1939-1943: Albert L. Vreeland (Republican), Elected 1938, Re-elected 1940. Did not seek re-election in 1942 but instead enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II.

1937-1939: Edward L. O'Neill (Democrat), Elected 1936. Defeated for re-election in 1938 by Vreeland.

1931-1937: Peter Angelo Cavicchia (Republican), Elected 1930, Re-elected 1932 and 1934. Defeated for re-election in 1936 by O'Neill.

12th District of New Jersey 1965-1966: Paul J. Krebs (Democrat), Elected 1964. Did not seek re-election in 1966 after his district was eliminated in redistricting.

1959-1965: George M. Wallhauser (Republican), Elected in 1958, Re-elected in 1960 and 1962. Did not seek re-election in 1964.

1939-1959: Robert W. Kean, (Republican), Elected 1938, Re-elected 1940, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1954 and 1956. Did not seek re-election in 1958, but instead was the Republican nominee for U.S. Senator.

1937-1939: Frank William Towey, Jr. (Democrat), Elected 1936. Defeated for re-election in 1938 by Kean.

1915-1937: Frederick R. Lehlbach (Republican), Elected 1914, Re-elected 1916, 1918, 1920, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1928, 1930, 1932 and 1934. Defeated for re-election in 1936 by Towey.

State Senators from Essex County

1926-1965 Elections Until 1965, Essex County had one State Senator, elected in countywide elections:

1927-1935: Joseph G. Wolber (Republican), Elected 1926. Re-elected 1929 and 1932. Did not seek re-election in 1935 following his appointment as a New Jersey Circuit Court Judge.

1936-1938: Lester H. Clee (Republican), Elected 1935. Republican nominee for Governor of New Jersey, 1937. Did not seek re-election in 1938.

1939-1941: Homer C. Zink (Republican), Elected 1938. Elected by the legislature to serve as New Jersey State Controller in 1941.

1942-1947: Roy V. Wright (Republican), Elected 1941. Re-elected 1944. Did not seek re-election in 1947.

1948-53: Alfred C. Clapp (Republican), Elected 1947. Re-elected 1951. Resigned in 1953 to become a Superior Court Judge.

1953-55: Marc Anton (Republican), Elected 1953 (Special Election). Defeated for re-election, 1955.

1956-64: Donal C. Fox (Democrat), Elected 1955. Re-elected 1959. Did not seek re-election, 1963.

1964-66: C. Robert Sarcone (Republican). Elected 1963. Defeated for re-election, 1965.

1965 Elections The U.S. Supreme Court, in Reynolds v. Sims (more commonly known as One Man, One Vote), required redistricting by state legislatures for congressional districts to keep represented populations equal, as well as requiring both houses of state legislatures to have districts drawn that contained roughly equal populations, and to perform redistricting when needed. Because of its population, Essex County went from one state senate seat to four. In 1965, all four Essex Senators were elected countywide At-Large for a two-year term:

1966-1968: Nicholas T. Fernicola (Democrat), Elected 1965. Defeated for re-election, 1967.

1966-1968: Maclyn S. Goldman (Democrat), Elected 1965. Defeated for re-election, 1967.

1966-1968: John J. Giblin (Democrat), Elected 1965. Defeated for re-election, 1967.

1966-1968: Hutchins F. Inge (Democrat), Elected 1965. Defeated for re-election, 1967.

1967 Elections As New Jersey adjusted to One Man, One Vote, the state reapportioned the state senate again for the 1967 elections. Essex County went from four state senate seats to six. In 1967, all six Essex Senators were elected countywide At-Large for four-year terms:

1968-1982: James Wallwork (Republican), Elected 1967. Re-elected 1971, 1973 and 1977. Did not seek re-election in 1981, but instead sought the Republican nomination for Governor.

1968-1974: Michael Giuliano (Republican), Elected 1967. Re-elected 1971. Defeated for re-election, 1973.

1968-1971: David Dowd (Republican), Elected 1967. Resigned in 1971 to become General Counsel to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

1968-1972: Alexander Matturri (Republican), Elected 1967. Candidate for Mayor of Newark, 1970. Did not seek re-election in 1971.

1968-1972: Milton Waldor (Republican), Elected 1967. Defeated for re-election, 1971.

1968-1972: Gerardo Del Tufo (Republican), Elected 1967. Did not seek re-election in 1971, but instead was elected to the Essex County Board of Freeholders.

1971 Elections