Warren W. Wilentz
Encyclopedia
Warren W. Wilentz was an American
lawyer and Democratic
politician from New Jersey
. He was the son of New Jersey Attorney General David T. Wilentz
, who prosecuted Bruno Hauptmann
in the Lindbergh kidnapping
trial, and the brother of New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice
Robert Wilentz
.
Wilentz was born in 1924 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey
to David and Lena (Goldman) Wilentz. He attended University of Virginia
and New York University
, and he received an LL.B from Rutgers University
in 1949. He served as Prosecuting Attorney for Middlesex County
from 1956 to 1960 and County Attorney from 1960 to 1967. He also became a partner of the Woodbridge firm founded by his father, Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer
.
In 1966 Wilentz was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate
to oppose Republican
incumbent Clifford P. Case
. He was recruited after several other potential candidates, including former New Jersey Governor
Robert Meyner, declined to run. Wilentz was soundly defeated by a margin of 60%-37%.
Wilentz was paralyzed in an automobile collision in December 2002. He received treatment at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation
in West Orange, New Jersey
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer and Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician from New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. He was the son of New Jersey Attorney General David T. Wilentz
David T. Wilentz
David Theodore Wilentz was the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1934 to 1944. In 1935 he successfully prosecuted Bruno Hauptmann in the Lindbergh kidnapping trial...
, who prosecuted Bruno Hauptmann
Bruno Hauptmann
Bruno Richard Hauptmann was a German ex-convict sentenced to death for the abduction and murder of the 20-month-old son of Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. The Lindbergh kidnapping became known as "The Crime of the Century".-Background:Hauptmann was born in Kamenz in the German Empire,...
in the Lindbergh kidnapping
Lindbergh kidnapping
The kidnapping of Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., was the abduction of the son of aviator Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. The toddler, 18 months old at the time, was abducted from his family home in East Amwell, New Jersey, near the town of Hopewell, New Jersey, on the evening of...
trial, and the brother of New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
Robert Wilentz
Robert Wilentz
Robert Nathan Wilentz was Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1979 to 1996, making him the longest-serving Chief Justice since the Supreme Court became New Jersey's highest court in 1948.-Biography:...
.
Wilentz was born in 1924 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The City of Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 50,814. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay", referring to Raritan Bay.-Name:The Lenape...
to David and Lena (Goldman) Wilentz. He attended University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
and New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, and he received an LL.B from Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
in 1949. He served as Prosecuting Attorney for Middlesex County
Middlesex County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 750,162 people, 265,815 households, and 190,855 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,422 people per square mile . There were 273,637 housing units at an average density of 884 per square mile...
from 1956 to 1960 and County Attorney from 1960 to 1967. He also became a partner of the Woodbridge firm founded by his father, Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer
Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer
Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer is a law firm in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States with headquarters in Woodbridge, New Jersey, and other offices in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The firm presently has approximately 150 attorneys in various business and personal practice areas.The...
.
In 1966 Wilentz was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
to oppose Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
incumbent Clifford P. Case
Clifford P. Case
Clifford Philip Case was an American lawyer and Republican Party politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives and the State of New Jersey in the United States Senate .-Biography:Clifford P. Case was born in Franklin Park in Somerset County, New Jersey...
. He was recruited after several other potential candidates, including former New Jersey Governor
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
Robert Meyner, declined to run. Wilentz was soundly defeated by a margin of 60%-37%.
Wilentz was paralyzed in an automobile collision in December 2002. He received treatment at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation
Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation
Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation is a division of the Select Medical Corporation that provides physical medicine and rehabilitation programs and services. There are currently three inpatient rehabilitation facilities located throughout New Jersey. On June 1, 2010, Kessler Institute for...
in West Orange, New Jersey
West Orange, New Jersey
West Orange is a township in central Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 46,207...
.
External links
- Biographical information for Warren W. Wilentz from The Political GraveyardThe Political GraveyardThe Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 224,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information.-History:...