Jane Burgio

Jane Burgio
Jane Burgio
Secretary of State of New Jersey
	In office; January 19, 1982 – January 16, 1990
Governor	Thomas Kean
Preceded by	Donald Lan
Succeeded by	Joan Haberle
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly; from the 25th district
	In office; January 8, 1974 – January 12, 1982
Preceded by	District created
Succeeded by	Arthur R. Albohn; James J. Barry Jr.
Personal details
Born	July 8, 1922; Nutley, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	December 20, 2005 (aged 83)
Spouse	John Burgio

Jane Grey Burgio (July 8, 1922 – December 20, 2005),^[1] an American Republican politician, served as Secretary of State of New Jersey and as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly.

Early life and education[edit]

Burgio was born and raised in Nutley, New Jersey. In 1940, she graduated in 1940 from Nutley High School, and later attending Caldwell College and Essex County College.^[2] She lived in North Caldwell. Her sister, Ruth Bedford, was also a Republican Party activist. Her brother-in-law, Stanley Bedford, served as a New Jersey Superior Court Judge. Her grandfather, Abraham Blum, was the first Mayor of Nutley.

Career[edit]

Burgio served as vice chair of the Essex County Republican Committee and as a Commissioner of the Essex County Board of Elections.

In 1973, after the primary election had already been held, incumbent Assemblyman Philip D. Kaltenbacher announced that he would not run for re-election. Essex County Republicans held a meeting and picked Burgio as his replacement. Burgio's running mate was Thomas Kean. Kean and Burgio defeated their Democratic opponents, Thomas Giblin and Nicholas Saleeby. Kean and Burgio were re-elected in 1975.

Kean gave up his Assembly seat in 1977 to pursue election as governor. Essex County Republican County Chairman Frederic Remington became Burgio's new running mate. They faced a primary and beat Wayne mayor Newton Edward Miller, Norman Lapidus, a businessman from Maplewood, Melvin I. Tolstoi, and Shirley Szabo. In November, Burgio and Remington prevailed over the Democrats, Livingston mayor Donald S. Coburn and Bernie Reiner.

In 1979, Burgio and Remington were re-elected. Defeated were Alex Trento and James Bildner.

In 1981, James Wallwork gave up his New Jersey Senate seat to become a Republican gubernatorial candidate. Burgio and Remington both wanted to run for the Senate, but when their shared hometown of North Caldwell was moved into a different district, neither of them ran for anything.^[3]

New Jersey Secretary of State[edit]

After Kean was elected Governor of New Jersey in 1981, he asked Burgio to become his Secretary of State, making her the first woman to serve in that role.^[4] She accepted and served in that office through the entire eight years of the Kean administration. She retired with Kean in January 1990.

In 1996, Burgio attempted a political comeback as a candidate for the position of Surrogate of Essex County, but lost by a very big margin.^{[citation needed]}

Death[edit]

Burgio died on December 20, 2005, at age 83.^[5]

References[edit]

^ "Jane Burgio in Social Security Death Index". Fold3. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
^ 2007 Hall of Fame Inductee, Jane Grey Burgio, Nutley Hall of Fame. Accessed November 9, 2019. "Ms. Burgio was born in Nutley at 169 Highfield Lane. She was the granddaughter of Abram Blum, the first Mayor of Nutley under the Commission form of government adopted in 1912. She graduated from Nutley High School in 1940 and attended the Display Institute in New York City, the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts, Caldwell College, and Essex County College."
^ Members 198th Legislature 1978-79, New Jersey State Library. Accessed September 10, 2015.
^ Staff. "SKETCHES OF MAJOR APPOINTEES TO KEAN'S CABINET", The New York Times, February 3, 1982. Accessed September 10, 2015. "Secretary of State Former Assemblywoman Jane Burgio of North Caldwell, who represented the same legislative district as Mr. Kean when he was in the State Assembly, became the first female Secretary of State when she was sworn in shortly after Mr. Kean on Inauguration Day."
^ "Jane Grey Burgio Obituary". The Star-Ledger. January 18, 2006. Retrieved April 23, 2020.

External links[edit]

Appearances on C-SPAN

Political offices
Preceded by Donald Lan	Secretary of State of New Jersey 1990–1992	Succeeded by Joan Haberle

[1] "Jane Burgio in Social Security Death Index". Fold3. Retrieved 2022-04-10.

[2] 2007 Hall of Fame Inductee, Jane Grey Burgio, Nutley Hall of Fame. Accessed November 9, 2019. "Ms. Burgio was born in Nutley at 169 Highfield Lane. She was the granddaughter of Abram Blum, the first Mayor of Nutley under the Commission form of government adopted in 1912. She graduated from Nutley High School in 1940 and attended the Display Institute in New York City, the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts, Caldwell College, and Essex County College."

[3] Members 198th Legislature 1978-79, New Jersey State Library. Accessed September 10, 2015.

[4] Staff. "SKETCHES OF MAJOR APPOINTEES TO KEAN'S CABINET", The New York Times, February 3, 1982. Accessed September 10, 2015. "Secretary of State Former Assemblywoman Jane Burgio of North Caldwell, who represented the same legislative district as Mr. Kean when he was in the State Assembly, became the first female Secretary of State when she was sworn in shortly after Mr. Kean on Inauguration Day."

[5] "Jane Grey Burgio Obituary". The Star-Ledger. January 18, 2006. Retrieved April 23, 2020.

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