Albert McCay (1901–1969) was a 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 1944 to 1948 and in 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 ...

from 1952 to 1960. Born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, McCay was raised in

Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey Mansfield Township is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 8,897, an increase of 353 (+4.1%) from the 2010 census count of 8,544, which in turn ...

and

Burlington, New Jersey Burlington is a City (New Jersey), city situated on the banks of the Delaware River in Burlington County, New Jersey, Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 United States census, the c ...

.Key Figures in Delanco History
Delanco Township. Accessed August 28, 2016. McCay graduated from the

Temple University Beasley School of Law The James E. Beasley School of Law (known as Temple Law) is the law school of Temple University, a public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1895 and enrolls about 650 students. Student body Admission for the ...

in 1929. He lived with his wife and children in

Palmyra, New Jersey Palmyra is a borough in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,438, an increase of 40 (+0.5%) from the 2010 census count of 7,398, which in turn reflected an in ...

and then Delanco Township, New Jersey.

Elected office

He served in the

from 1944 to 1948 and was chosen as speaker. He was elected to the

, serving from 1952 to 1960. In the Senate, McCay was chosen as Senate President for the 1957 session. In 1958, McCay used

Senatorial courtesy Senatorial courtesy is a long-standing, unwritten, unofficial, and nonbinding constitutional convention in the U.S. describing the tendency of U.S. senators to support a Senate colleague opposing the appointment to federal office of a nominee f ...

to block the renomination of

New Jersey Attorney General The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confi ...

Grover C. Richman Jr., refusing to explain why he was unwilling to allow Richman to be renominated to a second four-year term as Attorney General and stating that he would only disclose his justifications if he was granted subpoena power to compel the testimony of uncooperative witnesses who would be able to confirm his claims. Despite sharp criticism from Governor Robert B. Meyner, McCay held firm and the Senate backed him up, leading Richman to withdraw his name from consideration.Waggoner, Walter H
"Grover C. Richman; Served in New Jersey as Attorney General"
''

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 ...

'', May 7, 1983. Accessed August 28, 2016. "Mr. Richman's tenure as State Attorney General came to an unexpected end in January 1958, after he had been nominated for a second term. State Senator Albert McCay, Republican of Burlington County, where Mr. Richman lived, exercised his traditional right of 'senatorial courtesy' and opposed the renomination. Governor Meyner fought for Mr. Richman's approval by the Republican-controlled State Senate, but the nominee withdrew his name."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCay, Albert 1901 births 1969 deaths Lawyers from Burlington County, New Jersey Republican Party New Jersey state senators Politicians from Burlington, New Jersey People from Delanco Township, New Jersey People from Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey People from Palmyra, New Jersey Politicians from Philadelphia Presidents of the New Jersey Senate Speakers of the New Jersey General Assembly Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Temple University Beasley School of Law alumni 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature