John A. Rocco (June 25, 1936 – April 8, 2020) was an American Republican Party politician who served in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

from 1980 to 1998, where he represented the 6th Legislative District. Rocco also served as Mayor of

Cherry Hill, New Jersey Cherry Hill is a Township (New Jersey), township within Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As a suburb of Philadelphia, the township is part of the South Jersey and Delaware Valley regions. Cherry Hill ...

Biography

Born in

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west."." ''City of Philadelphia''. Retrieved November 8, ...

, Rocco was accepted at the age of 6 into

Girard College Girard College is an independent college preparatory five-day boarding school located on a 43-acre campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school was founded and permanently endowed from the shipping and banking fortune of Stephen Girard upon ...

. Rocco earned his undergraduate degree from West Chester College with a major in education, earned a master's degree in education from

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Saint Thom ...

and was awarded a

Doctor of Education Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded ...

degree from

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

. From 1964 to 1968, he was the principal of Cherry Hill's Woodcrest School. From 1968 to 1979, he was an associate professor at

Camden County College Camden County College (CCC) is a Public college, public community college in Camden County, New Jersey. Camden County College has its main campus in the Blackwood, New Jersey, Blackwood section of Gloucester Township, New Jersey, Gloucester Tow ...

, and then that school's director of continuing education. Rocco later became a professor at

Rowan College Rowan College may refer to: * Rowan College of South Jersey * Rowan College at Burlington County *Rowan University Rowan University is a public research university in Glassboro, New Jersey, with a medical campus in Stratford and medical and ac ...

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...

. Accessed June 17, 2010. Rocco served as mayor of Cherry Hill from 1975 to 1977 and was a member of its Township Council from 1977 to 1979. He was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

and

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

. He was chosen to serve as a member of the

National Commission for Employment Policy The National Commission for Employment Policy was an agency established within the United States Department of Labor. Originally established in September 1962 as the National Manpower Advisory Committee, it was re-designated the National Commission ...

from 1983 to 1989.Nominations & Appointments, May 23, 1986
,

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is the presidential library and burial site of Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States (1981–1989), and his wife Nancy Reagan. Located in Simi Valley, California, the library is administere ...

. Accessed June 17, 2010. In 1979, Rocco was elected to the Assembly together with running mate

Thomas J. Shusted Thomas J. Shusted (August 3, 1926 – March 31, 2004) was an American attorney and politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly on two separate occasions, representing New Jersey's 3rd legislative district, Legislative District 3D fr ...

, unseating Democratic incumbents Barbara Berman and Mary Keating Croce. In the Assembly, Rocco was the Assistant Minority Whip in 1984 and 1985, Speaker Pro Tempore from 1986 to 1989 and was the Deputy Speaker starting in 1992. He served as Chair of the Education Committee and as Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Schools. Legislation proposed by Rocco in 1996 would allow parents to opt out of public school requirements to wear

school uniform A school uniform is a uniform worn by students primarily for a school or otherwise an educational institution. They are common in primary school, primary and secondary schools in various countries and are generally widespread in Africa, Asia, O ...

s. In December 1997, Rocco introduced legislation in the Assembly that would ban public school students from selling candy and other fundraising items door to door, as well as prohibit programs that offered students incentives for higher sales figures. The bill, which would make New Jersey the second in the nation to implement such a ban, was proposed following the rape and murder of an 11-year-old boy from Jackson Township while selling candy and wrapping paper to residents near his home.Goodnough, Abby
"A Plan to Ban Door-to-Door Sales by Schoolchildren Is Praised by Educators"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', December 9, 1997. Accessed June 17, 2010. In 1997, Rocco lost to Democratic incumbent

John Adler John Herbert Adler (August 23, 1959April 4, 2011) was an American lawyer, politician and a member of the Democratic Party who served for one term as the U.S. representative for from 2009 until 2011. Prior to joining Congress, Adler was a memb ...

in the race for the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...

by a margin of 53%-47%.Staff
"Results of Senate Races; The Party Lines Hold in the Senate"
''

'', November 9, 1997. Accessed June 17, 2010. Rocco died of respiratory failure on April 8, 2020, in

Voorhees Township, New Jersey Voorhees Township is a township in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is a suburb in the Delaware Valley / Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 3 ...

.Cook, Bonnie L
"Dr. John A. Rocco, South Jersey educator, politician, and family man, dies at 83"
''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'', April 10, 2020. Accessed April 11, 2020. "To say that Dr. John A. Rocco led a busy life would be selling him short: For decades, he juggled roles as an educator, politician, and family man. The college professor, former Cherry Hill mayor, and two-decade New Jersey state assemblyman died Wednesday, April 8, of respiratory failure at Samaritan Hospice in Voorhees. He was 83."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rocco, John A. 1936 births 2020 deaths Mayors of places in New Jersey Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly New Jersey city council members Politicians from Cherry Hill, New Jersey Politicians from Philadelphia Rowan University faculty Rutgers University alumni Villanova University alumni West Chester University alumni Deaths from respiratory failure 20th-century mayors of places in New Jersey 20th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature