Richard F. Plechner, a former Superior Court Judge and Middlesex County Republican Chairman, died on December 14. He was 91.
He became involved in politics at an early age and was a delegate to the 1964 Republican National Convention in San Francisco, pledged to Barry Goldwater. He served as New Jersey Young Republican State Chairman in the early 1960s.
Plechner challenged the incumbent county chairman, Robert Main, in 1980 but lost by ten votes, 193-183.
He faced off against Main in 1981 and won by two votes on the second ballot.
Main led Plechner on the first ballot by three votes, 232-229, with Donald O’Connor, who had nearly beaten Joseph Spicuzzo for sheriff in 1980, receiving 43 votes. On the second ballot, Plechner defeated Main, 242-240.
But in 1982, Main sought a rematch and ousted Plechner with 63% of the vote, 340-202. His defeat followed a 3-1 off-the-line victory by two freeholder candidates backed by Main.
Main faced another fight in 1984, defeating Samuel Thompson, now a state senator, by a vote of 355-271. He beat Thompson again in 1985, 324-283. But in a 1987 rematch, Thompson won by 65 votes, 344-279.
In 1988, Gov. Thomas H. Kean nominated Plechner to serve as a Superior Court Judge. Despite the backing of three Democratic state senators from Middlesex County, including Majority Leader John Lynch (D-New Brunswick), Plechner faced some opposition and was confirmed by a narrow 22-2 margin.
He spent fourteen years as a judge before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70 in November 2002.
In 2003, Plechner mounted his first bid for public office as a candidate for the State Senate in the 18th district. The incumbent, Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen), defeated him by 5,386 votes, a 58.5% to 41.5% margin.
He served in the New Jersey National Guard for more than three decades, retiring as a colonel. He spent four years on active duty as a U.S. Army officer in the 1950s. He served as the municipal attorney for Old Bridge and Helmetta and as the attorney for multiple planning and zoning boards before his nomination to the bench.
Plechner was predeceased by two of his daughters and a grandson. He is survived by his wife, Mary Lou, three children, and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.