Thomas Gallo (politician)

Thomas A. Gallo (December 5, 1914 – December 9, 1994) was an American Democratic Party politician who served 11 years in the New Jersey General Assembly from Hoboken.

Thomas Gallo
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 33rd district
In office
January 8, 1974 – January 10, 1984
Preceded byDistrict created
Succeeded byNicholas LaRocca
Robert Ranieri
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 12-C district
In office
January 15, 1973 – January 8, 1974
Preceded bySilvio Failla
Succeeded byDistrict eliminated
Personal details
Born(1914-12-05)December 5, 1914
Hoboken, New Jersey
DiedDecember 9, 1994(1994-12-09) (aged 80)
Neptune Township, New Jersey
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseAdelaide Witt
Children4
Residence(s)Hoboken, New Jersey
Alma materSeth Boyden School of Business

Biography

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Gallo was born on December 5, 1914, in Hoboken. He graduated from Demarest High School (Now Hoboken High School) and the Seth Boyden School of Business (later merged into the University of Newark and now part of Rutgers University–Newark).[1] He served on the Hoboken Board of Adjustment and in 1951 was elected to the Hoboken City Commission and served for two years. After a change in the city's form of government, he returned to the city council in 1965 and was the council president until February 1973, shortly after being seated in the Assembly. While in the Assembly, he was the secretary to the Hoboken Board of Education, a position he held until 1979.[2][3] He was married to the former Adelaide Witt and had a total of four children.[4]

In September 1972, District 12-C Assemblyman Silvio Failla was murdered in a robbery, leaving one seat vacant. Gallo ran as a Democrat first in the December 18, 1972, special primary election; he was successful against four other Democrats.[5] In the January 8, 1973, special election, he ran against Republican Nilo Juri and defeated him.[6] The next year, Gallo ran in the new 33rd district alongside Christopher Jackman. The two men would be elected to the General Assembly for the next five terms from the same district until Gallo retired prior to the 1983 elections.

A life-long resident of Hoboken, he died at Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune Township, New Jersey, on December 9, 1994, shortly after turning 80 years old. He was survived by his wife and children.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Carlevale, Joseph William. Americans of Italian Descent in New Jersey, p. 290. North Jersey Press, 1950. Accessed August 5, 2019. "Gallo, Thomas A. - Businessman. Born, Hoboken, Dec. 5. 1914.... Graduated from Demarest High School and attended Seth Boyden School of Business Administration for two years."
  2. ^ Fitzgerald, J. A. (1975). Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  3. ^ Codey, Richard (2011). Me, Governor?: My Life in the Rough-and-tumble World of New Jersey Politics. Rivergate Books. p. 50. ISBN 9780813550459. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Associated Press (December 12, 1994). "Thomas A. Gallo, Legislator, 80". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  5. ^ "New Jersey". The New York Times. December 18, 1972. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  6. ^ "New Jersey Briefs - Assembly Place at Stake Today". The New York Times. January 8, 1973. Retrieved March 17, 2019.