Charles W. Webb Jr. (April 17, 1910 – May 15, 2010) was an American Republican Party politician from

Essex County, New Jersey Essex County is located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey, and is one of the centrally located counties in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's second-most populous county,< ...

Biography

Born in

East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 69,612, an increase of 5,342 (+8.3%) from the 2010 United States ...

, Webb was a 1927 graduate of Orange High School and worked as a bookkeeper in the Newark law offices of George S. Hobart, a former Speaker of 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 ...

.Bennett, Cliff
"Webb appointed by Driscoll to replace Gaulkin as Essex County prosecutor"
''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' was the largest circulation newspaper in New Jersey. It is based in Newark, New Jersey. The newspaper ceased print publication on February 2, 2025, but continues to publish a digital edition. In 2007, ''The Star-Ledger''s ...

'', November 14, 1953. Accessed March 7, 2025, via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...

. "He studied after graduating from Orange High School and started work as a bookkeeper. He is a member of the Newark law firm of Minard, Cooper, Gaffey & Webb. His home is at 20 Oberlin st., Maplewood." He filed a certificate of clerkship with the New Jersey Supreme Court and read law at Hobart and Minard (under the supervision of Hobart, a former Speaker of the

) until passing the New Jersey bar exam in 1934 and a two-day written counselors exam in 1937. Then a resident of

Maplewood, New Jersey Maplewood is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is an inner-ring suburban bedroom community of New York City in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's popula ...

, Governor

Alfred Driscoll Alfred Eastlack Driscoll (October 25, 1902 – March 9, 1975) was an American attorney and Republican Party politician who served as the 43rd governor of New Jersey from 1947 to 1954. As governor, he led the crusade for the 1947 state const ...

appointed him to serve as Essex County Prosecutor. After his confirmation by the State Senate, he took office on November 13, 1952 and served until February 16, 1959. Webb became a candidate for the

New Jersey State 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 ...

in 1959, seeking to challenge incumbent Donal C. Fox, a Democrat who was seeking re-election to a second term. Webb ran on the Essex Republican organization line with the backing of County Chairman William Yeomans, but faced a strong opponent in the GOP primary: former State Senator Alfred C. Clapp, who agreed to lead a slate of reform candidates opposed to Yeomans. Clapp defeated Webb by more than 20,000 votes, 31,551 (72%) to 12,177 (28%) and his "Clean Government" slate of 12 Assembly candidates all won the primary against the organization ticket. Webb's loss in the 1959 primary paved the way for former Congressman

Robert W. Kean Robert Winthrop Kean (September 28, 1893 – September 21, 1980) was an American Republican Party politician from the state of New Jersey. Kean represented parts of Essex County, New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives from 1 ...

to oust Yeomans in a race for Essex County Republican Chairman one week later. After losing the Senate race, Webb started a law firm, Webb, McDermott & McGee, which specialized in medical malpractice defense. He retired in 1975. He was married to Rosemary T. Wiesel from 1936 until her death in 1982. He died in 2010, less than a month after his 100th birthday.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Webb, Charles V. 1910 births 2010 deaths Orange High School (New Jersey) alumni People from East Orange, New Jersey People from Maplewood, New Jersey Politicians from East Orange, New Jersey New Jersey Republicans Lawyers from Essex County, New Jersey American prosecutors County officials in New Jersey American men centenarians 20th-century American lawyers