Governor orders flags lowered to honor Bill Hughes, NJ congressman who died Thursday

The U.S. and New Jersey flags will be flown at half-staff in honor of former Rep. William J. Hughes, who died on Thursday.

Gov. Phil Murphy issued an Executive Order today directing that all state buildings and facilities lower their flags in recognition of the Cape May Democrat, who represented New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975 to 1995 and served as the U.S. Ambassador to Panama from 1995 to 1998.

“Congressman Bill Hughes represented his South Jersey district for 20 years, but he was nothing less than a New Jersey icon,” Murphy said. “He was a public school product and a Rutgers graduate two times over. As a prosecutor in Cape May, he fought to keep residents safe. As a respected Congressman, he fought to protect the Jersey Shore from polluters and the Pinelands from development. As U.S. Ambassador to Panama under President Clinton, he served our nation on the world stage.”