Peter J. Genova (born June 17, 1944) is an American Republican Party politician who was elected to two full terms 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 ...

, serving in office from 1985 to 1990, where he represented the 21st Legislative District. Genova was elected to the General Assembly in a special election in 1985 to fill the seat left vacant by the death of

Edward K. Gill Edward Kent Gill (November 14, 1917 – February 9, 1985) was an American Republican Party politician who served as Mayor of Cranford, New Jersey and was elected to two terms of office in the New Jersey General Assembly, from 1982 until his d ...

in February 1985. Genova was elected to a full term in the Assembly together with running mate

Chuck Hardwick Charles Leighton Hardwick (November 8, 1941 − February 19, 2025) was an American Republican Party (United States), Republican Party politician and business leader who served as Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly and was a candidate for ...

in 1985, defeating Democrats Livio Mancino and Andrew K. Ruotolo Jr. Genova and Hardwick ran successfully together again in 1987, defeating challengers Robert Blitz and Brian W. Fahey.NJ Assembly 21 - History
OurCampaigns.com. Accessed July 19, 2010. Genova had won a spot on the Republican ticket in the June 1989 primary, but stepped aside to leave a spot for Hardwick to run for re-election to the Assembly after Hardwick lost the Republican nomination for

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...

Jim Courter James Andrew Courter (born October 14, 1941) is an American Republican Party politician and attorney. He represented parts of northwestern New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1991. In 1989, he unsuccessfully ...

. After Genova stepped aside from running for re-election, Hardwick was chosen by

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at a July 1989 special convention of Republican county committee members to fill the now-vacant ballot spot. In the 1989 general election, Hardwick won re-election, but Democrat

Neil M. Cohen Neil M. Cohen (born February 11, 1951) is an American Democratic Party politician, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1994 to 2008 where he represented the 20th Legislative District. He had also served in the Assembly from the ...

won the other seat in the district over former

Westfield, New Jersey Westfield is a Town (New Jersey), town 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 town's population was 31,032, an increase of 716 (+2.4% ...

Mayor Ronald J. Frigerio. In 1987, Genova sponsored a bill targeted at the increasing use of the

Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

by Hispanic immigrants to the state that would make English New Jersey's official language, stating that "Spanish has just grown too prominent in New Jersey".Staff
"Hispanic People Attack English-Language Bills"
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'', August 2, 1987. Accessed July 19, 2010. Genova argued that there was a need "to encourage people to respect English as the language of this country" and that where there is a choice between languages, English should be used exclusively. In September 1987, a bill proposed by Genova to establish a cabinet-level department for services related to veterans passed in the Assembly by a 71-2 margin. A bill sponsored by Genova in 1988 would charge with disorderly conduct anyone who donated blood while knowing that they were infected with HIV or other communicable diseases.Staff
"AIDS BILLS ON AGENDA FOR PANEL CRISIS PROMPTS NEW LEGISLATION"
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'', March 28, 1988. Accessed July 20, 2010. "Another bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Peter J. Genova (R., Union), would make it a disorderly-persons offense for anyone to donate blood while knowing that he or she is infected with the AIDS virus or any of several other communicable diseases."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Genova, Peter J. 1944 births Living people Politicians from Orange, New Jersey Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly 20th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature