Ernest F. Schuck (March 1, 1929 – May 16, 2009) was an American Democratic Party politician who served for seven years as mayor of

Barrington, New Jersey Barrington is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,075, an increase of 92 (+1.3%) from the 2010 United ...

and eight years 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 1974 to 1982, where he represented the 5th Legislative District.

Personal life

Born in the Bridgeboro section of

Delran Township, New Jersey Delran 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 17,882, an increase of 986 (+5.8%) from the 2010 census count of 16,896, which in turn ref ...

, on March 1, 1929, Schuck attended Palmyra High School. He received an undergraduate degree from Rutgers University College and later served during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

with 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 ...

.Staff
"Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey: 1979 edition"
p. 221. Fitzgerald's, 1979. Accessed September 26, 2016. "Assemblyman Schuck was born in Bridgeboro, March 1, 1929. He was graduated at Palmyra High School and attended Rutgers University College." He was a frequent visitor to

Ocean City, New Jersey Ocean City is a City (New Jersey), city in Cape May County, New Jersey, Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the principal city of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Cape May County, and is ...

, where he and his family owned a summer home. He was married to the former Elizabeth McNichol and had two daughters and a son. Schuck died at his home in Barrington at the age of 80 on May 16, 2009, due to lung cancer.Ott, Dwight
"Ernest Schuck, former lawmaker"
''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'', May 20, 2009. Accessed September 26, 2016.

Elected office

Schuck was first elected in 1966 to serve on the Borough Council of

and was elected the next year to be the borough's mayor, serving in that role until 1974. He was elected in 1973, together with

James Florio James Joseph Florio (August 29, 1937 – September 25, 2022) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 49th governor of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994. He was previously the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 1st congressional dist ...

, to represent the 5th Legislative District in the

, which covered portions of Camden County and Gloucester County; Florio resigned in 1975 to take a seat in Congress. Schuck was re-elected in 1975, 1977 and 1979, winning by overwhelming margins each time, with

Walter Rand Walter Rand (May 31, 1919 – January 6, 1995), born Walter Rappaport, was an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey, who was a specialist on transportation issues while serving in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature. Rand w ...

as his running mate.Results of the General Election Held November 6, 1973
,

Secretary of State of New Jersey 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 ...

. Accessed September 27, 2016.Results of the General Election Held November 4, 1975
,

. Accessed September 27, 2016.Results of the General Election Held November 8, 1977
,

. Accessed September 27, 2016.Results of the General Election Held November 6, 1979
,

. Accessed September 27, 2016. While serving in office, Schuck supported legislation that created the state income tax, legalized casino gambling and established restrictions on development in the

Pine Barrens Pine barrens, pine plains, sand plains, or pineland areas occur throughout the U.S. from Florida to Maine (see Atlantic coastal pine barrens) as well as the Midwest, West, and Canada and parts of Eurasia. Perhaps the most well known pine-barre ...

. In the Assembly, Schuck served on the Intergovernmental Relations Commission, the Law Revision and Legislative Review Commission and the Legislative Oversight Committee. In the 1977 general election, Schuck and other local Democrat candidates for the legislature ran on platforms supporting Governor

Brendan Byrne Brendan Thomas Byrne (April 1, 1924 – January 4, 2018) was an American attorney and Democratic Party politician who served as the 47th Governor of New Jersey from 1974 to 1982. Byrne began his career as a private attorney in Newark and Eas ...

's re-election bid and his efforts to create a state income tax, as senior citizens and the many area residents commuting to work 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 ...

and paying state taxes in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

would all be likely to see a net gain from the proposal; Byrne's Republican opponent in the race for governor that year,

Raymond Bateman Raymond H. "Ray" Bateman (October 29, 1927June 25, 2016) was an American politician who represented Somerset County in the New Jersey Senate in the 1960s and 1970s and was the Republican candidate for Governor of New Jersey in 1977. He was the fa ...

, had proposed repealing the income tax and raising the necessary funds through a series of changes that included increasing the state sales tax. In the June 1981 Democratic Primary, Schuck ran for the nomination for 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 ...

seat that had been held by

Angelo Errichetti Angelo Joseph Errichetti (September 29, 1928 – May 16, 2013) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as Mayor of Camden, New Jersey, and in the New Jersey Senate before being indicted during Abscam. Early life Angelo Joseph Err ...

, who had been charged with his involvement in the

Abscam Abscam, sometimes written ABSCAM, was a Federal Bureau of Investigation sting operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s that led to the convictions of seven members from both chambers of the United States Congress and others for bribery and co ...

scandal and would ultimately be forced to leave office on August 14, 1981, after his conviction.Staff
"Ernest Schuck, former Assemblyman, dies"

PolitickerNJ The Politicker Network, or Politicker.com, was a national network of fifty state-based political websites operated by the ''New York Observer''. Origins The network had its origins in journalist Ben Smith's ''New York Observer'' blog, "''The Poli ...

, May 18, 2009. Accessed September 27, 2016. "Schuck gave up his Assembly seat to run for State Senator in 1981, but lost the Democratic primary to Walter Rand; they were both seeking the seat of incumbent Angelo Errichetti, who was forced to forfeit is Senate seat and his position as Mayor of Camden following his criminal conviction in the Abscam scandal." Schuck faced off against his former Assembly running mate Walter Rand, who won the nomination by a 54%–46% margin and went on to win election to the Senate seat, serving until his death in 1995.Candidates for the Offices of State Senate and General Assembly – 1981 Primary
,

. Accessed September 27, 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schuck, Ernest F. 1929 births 2009 deaths United States Army personnel of the Korean War Mayors of places in New Jersey New Jersey city council members Lawyers from Burlington County, New Jersey Lawyers from Camden County, New Jersey Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Palmyra High School (New Jersey) alumni People from Barrington, New Jersey People from Delran Township, New Jersey People from Ocean City, New Jersey Politicians from Burlington County, New Jersey Politicians from Camden County, New Jersey Rutgers University alumni 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century mayors of places in New Jersey 20th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature