Joseph J. Roberts (born July 14, 1952) 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 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 1987 to 2010, where he represented the 5th Legislative District. He was also Speaker of the Assembly (2006–2010).

Early life and education

Roberts was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in

Bellmawr, New Jersey Bellmawr ( ) 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 11,707, an increase of 124 (+1.1%) from the 2010 Un ...

. His parents were Joseph Roberts Sr. and Margaret O'Donnell. Roberts attended

Bishop Eustace Preparatory School Bishop Eustace Preparatory School is a Catholic Church, Catholic coeducational, private Secondary education in the United States, high school in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey. Founded in 1954 by the priests and brothers of the Society of the C ...

Pennsauken Township, New Jersey Pennsauken Township is a township in Camden County, in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and it is located outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which it borders directly on the Delaware River. As of the 2 ...

. He graduated with a B.A. in political science from

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

and received an M.A. in Government Administration from the

Fels Institute of Government The Fels Institute of Government is the graduate school of public policy and public management at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Founded in 1937 by Samuel Simeon Fels of the Fels Naptha Soap Company, the Fels Institute prepares ...

at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

Early political career (1977-2006)

Roberts served on the Board of Education of the Bellmawr School District from 1976 to 1977 and on the Bellmawr Borough Council from 1977 to 1980. From 1979 to 1984 he served as an assistant to then Congressman

James J. 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 ...

. He served on the Camden County

Board of Chosen Freeholders In New Jersey, a Board of County Commissioners (until 2020 named the Board of Chosen Freeholders) is the elected county-wide government board in each of the state's 21 counties. In the five counties that have an elected county executive, the ...

from 1980 to 1987 and was the freeholder director during four of those years. Roberts was first elected to the General Assembly in 1987. He served as Assistant Minority Leader from 1994 to 1995, Minority Budget Officer from 1996 to 1998, and Majority Leader from 2002 to 2006. He has served as a member of the Democratic National Committee and also served as Chairman of the New Jersey State Democratic Committee from 2001 to 2002.

Speaker of New Jersey General Assembly (2007-10)

Roberts served as Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly from 2007 to 2010. Speaker Roberts sponsored more than a dozen bills to promote autism awareness and to require therapeutic services to be provided to autistic children and young adults. He spearheaded legislation aimed at curbing medical malpractice costs and preserving patient's rights and access to health care. Speaker Roberts sponsored the 2004 law that made New Jersey the fifth state to recognize domestic partnerships. He also authored legislation to revitalize the city of Camden and laws to encourage school districts and municipalities to consolidate and share services. As speaker, Roberts advanced the passage of comprehensive campaign finance and ethics reforms including a measure that provided for public financing in legislative elections in 2005 and 2007. On September 2, 2009, Roberts announced he would not seek re-election to his Assembly seat.

Sheila Oliver Sheila Yvette Oliver (July 14, 1952 – August 1, 2023) was an American politician who served as the second lieutenant governor of New Jersey from 2018 until her death in 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Oliver was the first Black woman ...

, who had been the chair of the Assembly Human Services Committee, succeeded Roberts as Speaker. Roberts served a total of 11 terms in the New Jersey General Assembly.

Business career

Roberts was the owner/operator of hospitality properties in

Cape May County, New Jersey Cape May County is the southernmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Much of the county is located on the Cape May peninsula, bound by the Delaware Bay to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and east. ...

, from 1984 to 2004. Roberts is a long time homeowner in

Sea Isle City, New Jersey Sea Isle City is a City (New Jersey), city in Cape May County, New Jersey, Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The city, and all of Cape May County, is part of the South Jersey region of the state and of the Ocean City, New Jersey ...

. Roberts was the vice-chairman of US Vision, an optical services company from 2002 to 2004.

Boards and non-profit activity

Roberts has served as president of Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Camden County and as a director of the United Way of Camden County. He was a member of the Rutgers University Board of Governors from 2010 to 2015. Roberts currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

References

External links

Assemblyman Roberts' legislative web page

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 ...

*''New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms''
20082007200620052004Assembly Member Joseph J. 'Joe' Roberts Jr.

Project Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is an American non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected offic ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Joseph J. 1952 births Chairmen of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee Bishop Eustace Preparatory School alumni Businesspeople from Cape May County, New Jersey Fels Institute of Government alumni Living people County commissioners in New Jersey People from Bellmawr, New Jersey People from Sea Isle City, New Jersey Politicians from Camden County, New Jersey Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Rutgers University alumni Speakers of the New Jersey General Assembly Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century members of the New Jersey Legislature 20th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature