Peter N. Perretti Jr. (October 4, 1931 – February 27, 2016) was an American lawyer who served as

Attorney General of New Jersey The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confi ...

from 1989 to 1990.

Biography

Raised in

Passaic, New Jersey Passaic ( or ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was List of municipalities in New Jersey, the state's 16th-most-populous ...

, Perretti attended

Montclair Kimberley Academy Montclair Kimberley Academy (MKA) is a co-educational private school for students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade located in Montclair, New Jersey, Montclair in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

, where he competed in prep baseball and basketball, graduating in the class of 1949. He graduated from

Colgate University Colgate University is a Private university, private college in Hamilton, New York, United States. The Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York ...

in 1953 and received his law degree from

Cornell Law School Cornell Law School is the law school of Cornell University, a private university, private, Ivy League university in Ithaca, New York. One of the five Ivy League law schools, Cornell Law School offers four degree programs (Juris Doctor, JD, Maste ...

in 1956. He clerked for retired Superior Court Judge Alexander P. Waugh. He served as Assistant Prosecutor in Essex County from 1958 until 1960. He was a partner in the firm of

Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland & Perretti Riker Danzig LLP is a law firm in the state of New Jersey. Founded in 1882, it is among the state's oldest firms. The firm is based in Morristown, New Jersey and also has offices in Trenton, New Jersey, and New York City. In 2018, Law360 ranked ...

in Newark, joining the firm as an associate in 1960 and becoming a partner in 1963. Perretti served on the board of

(MKA). He served as chairman of the board, and was an architect of the merger of Montclair Academy and The Kimberley School in 1974. Perretti was sworn in as

on February 14, 1989, replacing W. Cary Edwards, who resigned. As Attorney General, he led in the prosecution of New Jersey beach polluters, in the development of legislation to restrict automatic weapons, in improving oversight of the financing of

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

casinos, and in combating organized crime. A resident of

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a commercial and cultural hub of North Jersey and a diverse ...

, Perretti died on February 27, 2016. He and his wife, Ruth, had three children.

References

Sources

Official bio
Office of the

. Accessed March 20, 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Perretti, Peter N. Jr. 1931 births 2016 deaths Colgate University alumni Cornell Law School alumni Montclair Kimberley Academy alumni Lawyers from Montclair, New Jersey People from Passaic, New Jersey New Jersey attorneys general