Edward T. O'Connor Jr. (born October 6, 1942) is an American Democratic Party politician, who served 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 1982 to 2002, where he represented the 31st Legislative District.

Education

Born on October 6, 1941, in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

, O'Connor attended St. Peter's Preparatory School. He earned an A.B. in Modern Languages from

Saint Peter's University Saint Peter's University is a private Jesuit university in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. Founded as Saint Peter's College in 1872 by the Society of Jesus, the university offers over 60 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than ...

, followed by a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law. He then earned an L.L.M. from

New York University School of Law The New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it was the first law school established in New York City and is the oldest survivin ...

with a specialization in Labor Law. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, 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 th ...

from 1968 to 1970, attaining the rank of captain.

Career

O'Connor was elected in 1981 to fill the seat vacated by fellow Democrat Wally Sheil, defeating Republican Jean C. Lane by a 75.4%-24.7% margin. He was re-elected five times, with his closest scare coming in 1991, when he defeated Republican Bret Schundler by 55.1% to 44.9%. He served in the Senate on the Judiciary Committee and the Economic Growth, Agriculture and Tourism Committee. He served as Minority Whip starting in 1992.,

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 May 27, 2010. In December 2001, the Senate passed legislation introduced by O'Connor that would establish standards for DNA testing of prison inmates.Staff
"Metro Briefing , New Jersey: Trenton: DNA Testing Bill Advances"
''

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 3, 2001. Accessed May 30, 2010.

References

External links

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Edward J. Jr. 1942 births Living people Fordham University School of Law alumni Lawyers from Jersey City, New Jersey Democratic Party New Jersey state senators New York University School of Law alumni Politicians from Jersey City, New Jersey Saint Peter's University alumni St. Peter's Preparatory School alumni United States Army officers Military personnel from Jersey City, New Jersey 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century members of the New Jersey Legislature 20th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature