Joseph Anthony Lefante (September 8, 1928 – February 26, 1997) was an American businessman and Democratic Party

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who represented

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

's 14th congressional district for one term from 1977 to 1978.

Early life and education

Born in

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

, Lefante graduated from

Bayonne High School Bayonne High School (BHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Bayonne, in Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operated by the Bayonne Board of Education. As of the ...

. He completed courses at the Real Estate Institute of New Jersey in 1957. He served in the New Jersey National Guard from 1947 to 1952.

Political career

He was a business owner and served as a member of the Bayonne city council from 1962 to 1970. He was also a member of the Bayonne Board of Education from 1964 to 1967. He was elected to 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 ...

and served from 1969 to 1976. He served as a delegate to the New Jersey state Democratic convention, 1975. He served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, 1975.

Congress

Lefante was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Ninety-fifth Congress, serving until his resignation on December 14, 1978.

After Congress

He was appointed Commissioner of Community Affairs by 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 ...

, serving from 1978 to 1982.Joseph A. LeFante

New Jersey Department of Community Affairs The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Function The NJDCA provides "administrative guidance, financial support, and technical assistance to local governments, community develop ...

. Accessed October 3, 2018. He was an unsuccessful candidate for nomination to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

in 1982.

Death

He died on February 26, 1997, in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He was interred in Rose Hill Cemetery,

Linden, New Jersey Linden is a City (New Jersey), city in southeastern Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area, located about southwest of Manhattan and bordering Staten Island, a boro ...

References

, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Lefante, Joseph Anthony 1928 births 1997 deaths Politicians from Bayonne, New Jersey American people of Italian descent Bayonne High School alumni Commissioners of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs New Jersey city council members Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Speakers of the New Jersey General Assembly 20th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives