One New Jersey war veteran whose legacy remains intact after more than a century was Major General George Washington Goethals, the namesake of the Goethals Bridge.
Goethals graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1880 and was the chief engineer of the First Amy Corps of Engineers in the Spanish-American War and the Panama Canal project.
President Woodrow Wilson named him governor of the Panama Canal Zone in 1914. He left that post in 1916 when Wilson asked him to head the Emergency Fleet Corporation and tasked him with building improvised ships to quickly transport soldiers and supplies to France during World War I.
Gov. Walter Edge appointed him to a lucrative post in 1917: New Jersey State Engineer, with an annual salary of $10,000 — $200,304 in 2020 dollars. Wilson convinced Edge to allow Goethals to become Acting Quartermaster General of the United States in 1917 after a congressional investigation revealed supply chain mishaps.
In the 1920s, Goethals became the first chief engineer of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where he built the bridge that carries his name.
JACK MCGREEVEY
Jack McGreevey, a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran and drill instructor who spent decades as an indefatigable and effective advocate for veterans and their families in New Jersey, was the father of former New Jersey Gov. James E. McGreevey.
McGreevey was still working as a legislative aide to State Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Woodbridge), Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, and Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez (D-Perth Amboy) when he died in 2022.
Born in Jersey City to Irish immigrant parents—his father, Michael McGreevey, was a Jersey City police officer—McGreevey served in the Marines from 1945 to 1948 and again from 1950 to 1951. His military service included the World War II and Korean War eras, and he served as a machine gun unit leader during assignments in Japan, China, and Guam. He was a drill instructor at Camp Lejeune.
After his military service ended, McGreevey received a degree in marketing from Seton Hall University and worked as a national account sales executive in the interstate commerce industry.
McGreevey was a constant presence on the campaign trail during his son’s campaigns for the legislature, Woodbridge mayor, and governor, frequently representing his son at veterans events. He joined Vitale’s Senate staff in 1998. Vitale won the 19th district State Senate seat in 1997 when McGreevey left the legislature to run for governor.
He planned annual ceremonies for the 19th district legislators to present medals for veterans who never received proper recognition for their service. He would share war stories with new generations of veterans.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, McGreevey served as the veterans’ liaison between Vitale, Coughlin, and Lopez and the state veterans home in Menlo Park. When he found the facility lacking hot water last month, he went directly to state officials to quickly rectify the problem. He spent part of the pandemic helping home-bound veterans apply for benefits.
While his son served as governor, McGreevey was a statehouse regular.
Active in the VFW, American Legion, and China Marine Association, McGreevey was the deputy chief of staff to the New Jersey VFW for more than twenty years. For more than twenty years, he has organized the Marine Corps Birthday event at Drumthwacket. He also supported annual rallies to show support for U.S. troops in Woodbridge and brings the Marine Corps Band to Woodbridge High School for a performance.
GEORGE CARSE
Assemblyman George B. Carse (R-Camden) was a key player in Florida politics during Reconstruction after serving as a decorated Civil War hero.
Carse enlisted in the Union Army after the fall of Fort Sumter in April 1861.
During the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863, Carse was credited with reforming “a shattered and retreating line.” He was gravely wounded in the battle; Sgt. Robert Bloody saved Carse’s life and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
During Carse’s convalescence, General Joseph Hooker wrote a letter to President Abraham Lincoln commending his heroism. He was given a battlefield commission as a captain.
After the Civil War, Carse was sent to Florida to work in the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, where he administered contracts between former slaves and white planters. His job was to obtain justice for Blacks during Reconstruction.
In that role, Carse also became involved in politics, instructing Blacks on their opportunity to vote. He became Adjutant General under Florida’s new Republican governor, Harrison Reed.
During an internal Republican struggle between Reed and Lt. Gov. William Gleason, Carse caught Gleason trying to remove papers from the governor’s safe. He took out his revolver, pointed it at Gleason’s head, and forced the Lt. Governor out of the office.
A similar incident with a revolver happened again when Carse found out that Secretary of State George Alden had also removed some documents from Reed’s office.
That caused U.S. Senator Thomas Obsorn to seek Carse’s removal. Carse was indicted on charges of attempted murder after Alden filed a complaint, but the charges were dropped after Reed prevailed in the Florida GOP warette and removed Gleason and Alden.
Carse’s controversial time in Florida continued after he was accused of offering bribes to state legislators to support Reed after Osborn sought to impeach the governor.
After souring on the rough-and-tumble of Reconstruction-era politics, Carse returned to New Jersey and pursued a political career in a more docile place: Camden County.
Carse became editor of the Camden New Republic newspaper and was studying law when he was elected to the State Assembly in 1871 by 357 votes at age 34. He was re-elected in 1872 and 1873.
After leaving the legislature, Carse continued to play a key inside role in New Jersey politics and was serving as a general of the New Jersey National Guard when he died in 1883.
CHARLES HAIGHT
Charles Haight (D-Colts Neck) was serving as Assembly Speaker in 1861 when he was commissioned as a brigadier general of the New Jersey Militia. He held the speakership in 1862, even though he would spend the next 2 ½ years commanding Camp Vredenburgh for the 14th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War.
Haight decided to run for Congress in 1866 against incumbent William Newell, who had served as New Jersey’s first Republican governor from 1857 to 1864. Newell had also served as a congressman from the Whig Party (1847 to 1851) and returned to the House as a Republican in 1864.
The dominant issue in the Haight vs. Newell campaign was Newell’s intense opposition to immigration, and his opposition to Irish Catholics becoming part of the political establishment in New Jersey.
When Newell was governor, James Donnelly was convicted of murder in Monmouth County by a Protestant judge who sentenced Donnelly to death despite what the Irish community viewed as flimsy evidence. Newell refused to commute his sentence.
Haight beat Newell by 349 votes, 50.6%-49.4%. He did not seek re-election to a second term in 1866 and later served as Monmouth County Prosecutor.
Newell ran for governor again in 1877, but lost to Civil War General George B. McClellan. McClellan had been the Democratic presidential nominee against Abraham Lincoln in 1864. The Donnelly case again contributed heavily to Newell’s defeat.
Newell’s political comeback was especially interesting: In 1880, President Rutherford Hayes appointed him Governor of the Washington Territory. Newell remained in Washington State for fourteen years, serving as U.S. Indian Inspector before winning election as mayor of Olympia. He returned to Monmouth County at age 82 and died the following year.
SAMUEL CAVILEER
Assemblyman Samuel H. Cavileer (R-Port Republic) was a 23-year-old mariner with a fleet coasting off the coast of Charleston when Fort Sumpter fell in April 1861.
He returned home to New Jersey and immediately enlisted in the 4th New Jersey Army and fought in the principal battles of the Army of the Potomac. In June 1862, Cavileer was taken prisoner by the Confederate States Army at the Belle Isle Prison in Virginia. Along with other Union soldiers, he suffered from malnutrition.
Cavileer was released at some point and immediately re-enlisted in the Union Army. He fought in the Third Battle of Winchester in September 1864 and was wounded, permanently leaving his left arm mostly useless. Still, Cavileer continued his military service until the end of the war.
In 1867, at age 29, Cavileer was elected Atlantic County Sheriff and served a three-year term.
He was elected to the State Assembly in 1871, winning his seat by 273 votes. He was re-elected in 1872.
Cavileer died in September 1876, at the age of 38, when a ship he was captaining off the coast of Atlantic City was lost at sea during an intense windstorm.