Marie Sheehan Muhler (born July 19, 1937) is 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 1976 to 1986. Born in

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, Muhler grew up in

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a commercial and cultural hub of North Jersey and a diverse ...

and graduated from Montclair High School and Marymount College (now known as

Marymount University Marymount University is a Private university, private Catholic university with its main campus in Arlington County, Virginia, United States. It was founded as Marymount College in 1950. Marymount offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degre ...

). Living in

Marlboro Township, New Jersey Marlboro Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is located within the Raritan River, Raritan Valley region and is a part of the New York metr ...

with her husband—an engineer at

Bell Laboratories Nokia Bell Labs, commonly referred to as ''Bell Labs'', is an American industrial research and development company owned by Finnish technology company Nokia. With headquarters located in Murray Hill, New Jersey, the company operates several lab ...

—and their four children, Sheehan served on the township's zoning board of adjustment and on the boards of education of both the Marlboro Public Schools and the Freehold Regional High School District. In her first campaign for the Assembly, running in 1975 in the 11th Legislative District, Muhler knocked off incumbent Democrat Morton Salkind by a margin of under 300 votes. In the Assembly, she served on the Education Committee and the Joint Committee on Ethical Standards, and was selected as deputy minority whip, one of the four party leadership roles selected by a vote of the assembly members of each party.Staff
"Interview: Legislative Whip"
''

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 ...

'', July 2, 1978. Accessed August 6, 2019. "A native of the Bronx, the former Marie Sheehan attended Montclair High School and Marymount College in Arlington, Va." In the 1980 general election, Muhler faced off against incumbent Democrat

James J. Howard James John Howard (July 24, 1927 – March 25, 1988) was an American educator and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1965 until his death from a h ...

with campaign visits from President

Gerald R. Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...

and plans to raise $200,000 and outspend the incumbent. She lost by less than one percent of the vote in the race for New Jersey's 3rd congressional district. In 1982, Muhler and Howard faced off against each other for a second time. In redistricting following the

1980 United States census The 1980 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 226,545,805, an increase of 11.4% over the 203,184,772 persons enumerated during the 1970 census. It was the first ce ...

, Marlboro Township was one of several strongly Republican municipalities that were removed from the district. With the changes in the political landscape, Muhler lost a second time to Howard, by a 62% to 36% margin.Staff
"Vote Results in New Jersey"
''

'', November 4, 1982. Accessed August 6, 2019. "Third District+ James J. Howard,* D 103,313 Marie Sheehan Muhler, R 60,059" Muhler resigned from the Assembly on October 20, 1986 to join the

New Jersey Department of Community Affairs The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Function The NJDCA provides "administrative guidance, financial support, and technical assistance to local governments, community develop ...

References

External links

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Muhler, Marie Sheehan 1937 births Living people Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Montclair High School (New Jersey) alumni People from Marlboro Township, New Jersey Politicians from Montclair, New Jersey Politicians from Monmouth County, New Jersey Women state legislators in New Jersey 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women 20th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature