Codey’s death closes the book on a half-century political career that produced New Jersey’s indoor-smoking ban, stem-cell research funding, and the nation’s first state-funded postpartum depression screening program—achievements secured by a blunt, diner-hopping style that made him more popular than many elected governors.
Instant Legacy: Why Every New Jersey Smoker, New Mom, and Taxpayer Feels the Loss Today
Richard “Dick” Codey, the longest continually serving state legislator in American history, died Sunday at his home in Roseland at age 79 after a brief illness, his family confirmed. The total—52 consecutive years under the Statehouse dome—is a longevity record that spans seven governors, five presidents, and a wholesale reinvention of New Jersey’s image from industrial punchline to bioscience hub.
Codey’s most durable victories never bore his name, yet they touch daily life from Atlantic City casinos to suburban diners: the 2006 indoor-smoking ban that cleared the air in 19,000 bars and restaurants; a 2004 stem-cell research bond that lured $1.3 billion in private biotech investment; and a pioneering postpartum-depression screening program that has evaluated 400,000 new mothers since 2006.
From Funeral Home to Acting Governor—Twice
The son of an Essex County undertaker, Codey entered the Assembly in 1974 at age 27, riding the post-Watergate Democratic wave. He jumped to the Senate in 1982 and became its president in 2002, a perch that unexpectedly made him acting governor when Christine Todd Whitman resigned to lead the EPA under President George W. Bush.
That stint lasted only nine days, but fate intervened again in August 2004 when Jim McGreevey resigned in a scandal-laced prime-time speech. Codey served out the 14-month remainder of the term, refusing the trappings of the governor’s mansion and instead sleeping in a Maplewood condo and driving a state-issued Ford Taurus to his kids’ basketball games.
Policy Wins That Outlasted the Politics
- Clean Air: The 2006 smoking ban passed after years of lobbying by Codey, who famously quipped, “You shouldn’t have to choose between a burger and a breath of oxygen.” Casino floors were exempted, but every bar, restaurant, and workplace in the state went smoke-free overnight.
- Mental Health: After his wife Mary Jo’s public battle with postpartum depression, Codey secured $10 million annually for universal maternal mental-health screening—making New Jersey the first state to mandate such checks.
- Stem Cells: He steered a $270 million bond act that funded the construction of the Rutgers-based Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey, seeding what is now a $5.6 billion biotech corridor stretching from New Brunswick to Princeton.
The Poll Leader Who Walked Away
By late 2004, Codey’s approval rating hit 65 percent, higher than any governor since Democrat Brendan Byrne in 1977. Party bosses, scenting a sure win in 2005, instead recruited Wall Street multimillionaire Jon Corzine. Codey bowed out without public complaint, later joking he was “the only guy who ever got term-limited by Goldman Sachs.”
He again became acting governor for 26 days in 2007 after Corzine’s near-fatal Parkway crash, calmly overseeing the state budget while the elected governor lay in a trauma unit.
Radio Showdown: When the Governor Almost Went Outside
In 2005, Codey confronted shock-jock Craig Carton after the host mocked Mary Jo’s mental-health advocacy. Accounts differ—Carton claimed Codey threatened to “take him out,” while Codey insisted he merely wished to “take him outside.” The episode cemented Codey’s reputation as a politician willing to throw a punch—figuratively or literally—for a cause.
End of an Era: What Codey’s Death Means Now
With Codey’s passing, New Jersey loses its last direct link to the 1970s reform era that created the modern ethics, campaign-finance, and open-public-records laws. His departure also highlights a vanishing breed: the moderate, deal-making Democrat who could win Republican suburbs while holding urban machines together.
Current Governor Phil Murphy ordered flags lowered to half-staff Monday and called Codey “the gold standard for authentic public service.” Senate President Nicholas Scutari announced the chamber will adjourn early this week in tribute, a rare honor last granted for Senator Frank Lautenberg in 2013.
Funeral Arrangements and Succession
A public viewing is scheduled for Thursday at Codey & Son Funeral Home in Orange—the same family business where a teenage Dick once polished caskets. A state memorial service will follow at the Paterson Great Falls amphitheater, chosen for its view of the industrial landscape Codey fought to revive through biotech tax credits.
His 34th District Senate seat will be filled by a special convention of Essex County Democrats within 30 days, setting off an intraparty scramble that could reshape northern New Jersey’s political map.
Codey is survived by Mary Jo, their three children, and seven grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations to the New Jersey Mental Health Association—a final reminder that the governor who never campaigned for the job never stopped campaigning for the cause that defined him.
Stay with onlytrustedinfo.com for the fastest, most authoritative analysis of what Codey’s exit means for the 2026 legislative map and the future of bipartisan deal-making in Trenton.
