Jim McGreevey was once the most powerful politician in the State of New Jersey. A member of the Democratic Party, he held office as the state's governor. But his gubernatorial term would not go smoothly.
McGreevey would be ensnared by scandal and explosive allegations in his personal life. Culminating in the premature conclusion of his gubernatorial tenure. In the years to follow, he has evidently been working to clean up his image and behavior. And McGreevey might not be completely done with politics just yet.
Mulling a run in Jersey City
Jim McGreevey could launch a mayoral campaign in Jersey City.
McGreevey says that he has been strongly encouraged to do so by powerful State Senator Brian P. Stack. Stack is also the mayor of nearby Union City. If he were to run and win, it wouldn't be the first time McGreevey served as a mayor. In the past, it was in Woodbridge Township to the southwest.
He is not alone, however, in his interest in running for the position. There are several New Jersey officials reportedly intrigued by the possibility. Among them is U.S. Representative Rob Menendez. He is the son of prominent U.S. Senator Bob Menendez and brother of MSNBC journalist Alicia Menendez.
From 2013 to 2019, McGreevey led the city's Employment & Training Program. A possible mayoral run would apparently not be meant as a launch pad back to state politics.
Instead referring to it as being "a last final act" of his political career.
His electoral career began with the New Jersey General Assembly, in which he won a seat in 1989. Two years later, McGreevey was elected as the Woodbridge Township mayor. He was re-elected in 1995 and 1999. Along the way, he was also elected to the New Jersey Senate in 1993.
McGreevey first ran for governor in 1997. He lost in a three-way race to Republican incumbent Christine Todd Whitman. In 2001, Whitman was term-limited from running again. McGreevey ran again and was elected handily over former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler.
Shortly into his gubernatorial term, he raised eyebrows with his hiring choice for homeland security adviser.
The credentials of the individual were quickly brought into question. What eventually ensued was tumult, including in McGreevey's private life and lawsuit threats. In the end, McGreevey resigned as governor in 2004.
Is a Jersey City native
Jim McGreevey was born in Jersey City. His father was a World War II and Korean War veteran with the U.S. Marine Corps. The younger McGreevey would spend much of his youth in nearby Carteret and Metuchen. In the latter, he graduated from Saint Joseph High School.
McGreevey obtained degrees from Columbia University, the Georgetown University Law Center and Harvard University. Additionally, he attended the Catholic University of American and the London School of Economics.
Before becoming a politician, McGreevey worked as a prosecutor. He was also an official with the State Parole Board and a faculty member at Kean University in Union Township.
After his governorship, McGreevey began studying at the General Theological Seminary. He eventually received a Master of Divinity degree. McGreevey was approved as an Episcopal chaplain. But his quest to become a fully ordained Episcopal priest was unsuccessful.
