Joseph P. Cryan (born September 1, 1961 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 ...

) is an American 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 has 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 ...

since 2018, representing the 20th Legislative District. He previously 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 2002 to 2015, where he also represented the 20th Legislative District.

New Jersey Assembly

Cryan was the Majority Leader of the

, serving from January 12, 2010, until January 10, 2012. Cryan served as the Assembly's Deputy Majority Leader 2006–2010, and was Assistant Majority Leader from 2004 to 2005. He served on the Human Services Committee and the Law and Public Safety Committee.

New Jersey Senate

Cryan ran for

in 2017, and won. Cryan was sworn in on January 9, 2018. Assemblymember

Jamel Holley Jamel Curtis Holley (born September 13, 1979) is an American Democratic Party politician from the state of New Jersey, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 20th Legislative District from 2015 to 2022. He is the first A ...

announced in January 2021 that he would challenge Cryan in the June 2021 primaries. Jason Krychiw also ran against Cryan in the primary.

Committees

Committee assignments for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:Senator Joseph P. Cryan (D)

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 January 23, 2024. *Higher Education (as chair) *Commerce (as vice-chair)

District 20

Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the

and two members in the

. The representatives from the 20th District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are: * Senator Joseph Cryan (D) * Assemblyman Reginald Atkins (D) * Assemblywoman Annette Quijano (D)

Personal

Cryan was born on September 1, 1961, in

East Orange 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 ...

and raised

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. His father, John F. Cryan, an

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

from County Roscommon, Ireland, was elected to the General Assembly and served as Sheriff of Essex County. Cryan's father had been charged in Federal court with racketeering and corruption, though the judge in the case dismissed the charges due to prosecutorial mistakes and ended the proceedings against him. The lawmaker's son, also named John Cryan, was convicted of brutally beating a motorist with a baseball bat while two accomplices punched and kicked the victim, after a case of road rage that occurred when his father was in the General Assembly. The younger Cryan was ordered by the court only to probation but he was later jailed for violating the terms of his sentence. Other relatives involved in public life are his cousin, Morristown Councilman John Cryan, his sister, Union Township Municipal Clerk Eileen Birch, his cousin,

Cranford, New Jersey Cranford is a Township (New Jersey), township in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located southwest of Manhattan. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 23,847, an increas ...

township administrator Jamie Cryan, his brother-in-law

Superior Court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

judge Joseph Donohue. The New York Post reported that Cryan "graphically spelled out his kinky proclivities in more than 150 e-mails that he sent to" a former lobbyist for Prudential Financial who pleaded guilty to stalking his girlfriend in exchange for being allowed to participate in a pre-trial intervention program. "The e-mails were written when the pol presumably would have been at one of his government jobs — either his $49,000-a-year Assembly gig or his $111,000-a-year post as Union County undersheriff," the Post said. Cryan graduated with a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

from

Belmont Abbey College Belmont Abbey College is a private, Catholic liberal arts college in Belmont, North Carolina. It was founded in 1876 by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey. The college is affiliated with the Catholic Church and the Order of Saint Benedict. ...

in Business Administration in 1983. Cryan was born in

, and currently resides in Union Township.

Democratic state chairman

Cryan has served on the New Jersey State Democratic Committee since 2002, as Vice Chair. On February 17, 2006, Cryan was selected to be the head of the

New Jersey Democratic State Committee The New Jersey Democratic State Committee (NJDSC) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of New Jersey. LeRoy J. Jones Jr. is the chair and Peg Schaffer is the vice chair. Its main rival is the New Jersey Republican State C ...

, succeeding

Bonnie Watson Coleman Bonnie Marie Watson Coleman (born February 6, 1945) is an American politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for New Jersey's 12th congressional district since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (U ...

. He stepped down after the selection of his successor John S. Wisniewski on January 27, 2010. As Democratic state chairman, in November 2009, Assemblyman Cryan presided over a Democratic gubernatorial party loss by incumbent

Jon Corzine Jon Stevens Corzine ( ; born January 1, 1947) is an American financial executive and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 2001 to 2006, and the 54th governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. Corzine ran f ...

to Republican

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...

. He was replaced as state chairman in January 2010 by Assemblyman John Wisniewski.

Electoral history

New Jersey Senate

New Jersey Assembly

References

External links

Assemblyman Joseph Cryan Official Webpage
at the

*''New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms''
2010200920082007200620052004
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Cryan, Joseph P. 1961 births American people of Irish descent Belmont Abbey College alumni Chairmen of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Democratic Party New Jersey state senators Living people People from Union Township, Union County, New Jersey Politicians from East Orange, New Jersey 21st-century members of the New Jersey Legislature