Herb Klein, former N.J. congressman, dies at 93

Herbert C. Klein, a smart and successful lawmaker and attorney who represented New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 1995, died today.  He was 93.

During his two years as a congressman, Klein sought major cuts in the federal budget, including the elimination of over 250,000 federal jobs, F-16 fighter jets, and super-conducting colliders.  He served on the House Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs Committee, and the Science, Space and Technology Committee.

“Herb Klein was one of a kind. A dedicated public servant, a brilliant lawyer, and my close friend. I will miss his wisdom and I will miss his counsel,” said Rep. Pascrell (D-Paterson), who now holds his old seat,  “Herb was a pillar in our community who helped lay the groundwork for the Passaic County Democratic Party to grow and thrive. His experience as a congressman was invaluable to me when I ran for his House seat and set up my federal office.”

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wykcoff) said he was grateful for Klein’s “strong voice on behalf of Jersey families, the Jewish community, and the Passaic County Democratic Party.”

“Today, North Jersey lost one of our best,” Gottheimer said.  “May his memory be a blessing.”

Klein began his political career in 1971, seeking a seat in the New Jersey State Assembly from District 14A in Passaic County.  In the years immediately following the U.S. Supreme Court’s One-Man, One-Vote decision, some counties had single-member Assembly districts.  That practice ended in 1973, when New Jersey switched to the current 40-member map.

In that race, the Clifton Democrat ousted two-term Republican Assemblyman Joseph Scancarella (R-Passaic) by 1,888 votes, 52.7%-47.3%.  That was GOP Gov. William Cahill’s mid-term election, and Democrats picked up 20 Assembly seats that year.

Two years later, Klein ran for re-election in the newly constituted 34th district, which included Passaic, Clifton, Totowa, Woodland Park (then West Paterson), Little Falls, and Haledon.

Redistricting in 1973 put two first-term state senators, Joseph Hirkala (D-Passaic) and William  Bate (D-Clifton), into the same district, along with Klein.  Passaic County Democrats picked Hirkala, the influential Passaic City Clerk, for the Senate, and Bate ran for Assembly with Klein.

Seeking a political comeback in 1973 in a bid for his old Assembly seat, Scancarella could not subside the effects of the Watergate wave election that led to a 66-14 Democratic Assembly majority and lost to Klein by 11,602 votes.  Clifton Councilman Thomas Cupo finished fourth.

During his second term, he was the chairman of the Assembly Democratic Caucus – a post now known as Conference Leader.

Klein was among the casualties of Brendan Byrne’s 1975 midterm elections, where Democrats lost 17 seats – most in largely GOP districts that Democrats won during Watergate.

Emil Olszowy, a Passaic City Councilman, ousted Klein by 472 votes.  Bate ran more than 6,900 votes ahead of Klein.

Klein, who went to Harvard Law School and ran a successful law firm, later became a trustee at Rutgers University.  He had served as counsel to the Passaic County Parks Commission, the vice chairman of the Passaic County Democratic organization when Betty McNamara Kordja was county chair, and was a delegate to the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

After Rep. Robert Roe (D-Wayne), a powerful 12-term Democrat who had served as chairman of two full House committees, retired in 1992, Klein became a candidate in a district where Democratic primary voters were nearly evenly split between Essex and Passaic counties,

With the Passaic County Democratic organization line and a considerable warchest, Klein defeated Assemblyman Harry McEnroe (D-South Orange) by 2,670 votes, 39%-28%, in a five-candidate field.   Klein beat McEnroe by 28 points in Passaic County; in Essex, off-the-line candidate Claire Lagarmasini, a Montclair attorney, ran 1,133 votes ahead of McEnroe, with Klein in third – just 724 votes behind the Essex assemblyman.

The general election was considered a toss-up.  The newly-drawn 8th district had backed George Bush for President in 1988 by a 55%-45% margin over Michael Dukakis, and the Republican candidate was Joseph Bubba (R-Wayne), a four-term state senator and former Passaic County Freeholder.

Klein outspent Bubba by a 3-1 margin and scored a 12,068-vote plurality, 47%-41%.  Gloria Kolodziej, a Democrat who had served two terms as the nonpartisan mayor of Clifton, ran as an independent and won 8% of the vote.   Klein beat Bubba 35%-39% in Passaic, where Passaic received 12.5%, and won Essex by six points.

The 8th district backed Bill Clinton for President in 1992 by a 45%-42% margin.

As a congressman, Klein served on the House Banking Committee and the House Science and Technology Committee.

For the second time in his political career, Klein became a victim of a midterm election. Republicans won 54 seats and control of the House in the middle of Clinton’s first term.

Klein’s Republican challenger was Bill Martini, a Passaic County Freeholder and former Clifton Councilman.  Martini beat him by 1,833 votes, carrying the Passaic County portion of the district by 589 votes and Essex by 1,244.

Martini, defeated in 1996 by Pascrell, then an assemblyman and the mayor of Paterson, by just three points in a district that gave Clinton a 58%-34% win over Bob Dole, now serves as a U.S. District Court Judge.

Klein served in the U.S. Air Force from 1954 to 1956.

He spent his later years at a powerful New Jersey law firm, Genova Burns.

“I appreciate his philanthropic dedication to northern New Jersey never ever waned. I always enjoyed when we visited seniors at Daughters of Miriam in Clifton together,” Pascrell said. “This is a very tough day for Passaic.”

In a joint statement, Gov. Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy called Klein “a dear friend.”

“Herb was a dedicated public servant who always put his constituents first. Among his achievements, he wrote legislation that established the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and co-authored major banking legislation in Congress. He will be remembered for his devotion to his alma mater, Rutgers University, as well as his contributions to the New Jersey State Association of Jewish Federations and the New Jersey-Israel Commission,” the Murphys said.  “Our hearts go out to his family, his wide circle of friends, and all who knew him. He will be sorely missed.”

This story was updated at 3:08 PM with comment from Pascrell, and at 5:07 PM with comment from Gottheimer and the Murphys.