Donald Hayden (April 24, 1937 – September 19, 2014) 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 the 35th Legislative District from 1994 to 1996.

Biography

Born and raised in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

and was a student at William Paterson College (since renamed as

William Paterson University William Paterson University, known as WP, officially William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), is a public university in Wayne, New Jersey, United States. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Founded in 1855 an ...

) and Jersey City State College (since renamed as

New Jersey City University New Jersey City University (NJCU) is a public university in Jersey City, New Jersey. Originally chartered in 1927, NJCU consists of the School of Business, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, and College of Professional Studies a ...

). He was an officer in the Paterson Police Department and worked in the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office and at

Passaic County Community College Passaic County Community College (PCCC) is a public community college in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. Campuses PCCC has four campuses located throughout the county it serves. The main campus is located in Paterson, New Jersey, and ...

. He served on the Paterson city council from 1992 to 2000. Hayden was appointed to the assembly after

Frank Catania Frank Catania (born November 17, 1941) is an American lawyer and Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from the 35th Legislative District from 1990 to 1994. A resident of Hawthorne, New Jersey, Catania was ...

resigned on September 23, 1994, to become director of the

New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of New Jersey that was established in 1977 under the Casino Control Act, N.J.S.A. to ensure the integrity of the casino gaming industry, including spor ...

. In the November 1995 general election, Hayden and his running mate Dennis Gonzalez were defeated by Democratic incumbent

Bill Pascrell William James Pascrell Jr. (January 25, 1937 – August 21, 2024) was an American politician who was a U.S. representative from New Jersey from 1997 until his death in 2024. Pascrell was a member of the Democratic Party and a native of Paterson ...

and his running mate

Alfred E. Steele Alfred E. Steele (born January 22, 1954) is an American Baptist clergyman and Democratic Party politician, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly starting in 1996, where he represented the 35th legislative district. He resigned on Septe ...

.Official List General Election Returns for the Office of General Assembly for Election Held November 7, 1995

New Jersey Department of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing New Jersey State Council on the Arts, artistic, cultural, and New Jersey Historical Com ...

, December 4, 1995. Accessed January 29, 2024. A resident of

Rutherford, New Jersey Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 18,834, an increase of 773 (+4.3%) from the 2010 census count of 18,061, which in turn reflected a de ...

, and the

Totowa, New Jersey Totowa (pronounced "TO-tuh-wuh" ) is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,065, an increase of 261 (+ ...

, Hayden died in

Glen Ridge, New Jersey Glen Ridge is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,802, an increase of 275 (+3.7%) from the 2010 United St ...

, on September 19, 2014.Donald Hayden 1937 - 2014
Festa Memorial Funeral Home. Accessed January 29, 2024. "Hayden, Donald of Totowa passed away in Glen Ridge on September 19, 2014. ... Don was born and lived in Paterson for most of his life before moving to Rutherford and then Totowa in 2003. Don served his country in the United States Army. Later, Don served as a Paterson Police Officer for fourteen years before serving as a Lieutenant for the Passaic County Prosecutors Office for twenty five years. He also was the Chief Security Director for Passaic County Community College for four years before retiring in 1992. Don was an active member of his community, succeeding his brother Kenneth by serving as a Paterson City Councilman from 1992 to 2000 and serving as the Paterson Council President in 1997. He also served as State Assemblyman for the 35th district in 1994."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayden, Donald 1937 births 2014 deaths Military personnel from Paterson, New Jersey New Jersey city council members New Jersey City University alumni People from Totowa, New Jersey People from Rutherford, New Jersey Politicians from Paterson, New Jersey Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly United States Army soldiers William Paterson University alumni 20th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature