- Richard W. DeKorte
Richard W. DeKorte (1936 –
March 16 1975 ) was aNew Jersey Republican member of theNew Jersey General Assembly .Born in
Paterson, New Jersey to John I. and Henrietta DeKorte, Richard W. DeKorte was educated atAmherst College and theUniversity of Chicago Law School . DeKorte specialized inEstate Law at the Paterson law firm of Jeffer, Walter, Tierney, DeKorte, Hopkinson & Vogel. He served as a mayor and councilman in his hometown ofFranklin Lakes, New Jersey .DeKorte was elected to the
New Jersey General Assembly in 1967 and later elected majority leader withThomas Kean as speaker. In 1970, DeKorte was appointed counsel toGovernor of New Jersey William T. Cahill When Cahill lost his bid for re-election as Governor (due to the
Watergate scandal's nation-wide impact on Republicans), there were "Transition Meetings" where DeKorte assisted in bringing the governor-elect,Brendan Byrne up to speed. It is said that Byrne was so impressed with the DeKorte during those meetings he made DeKorte Head of the New Jersey State Energy Office (or "Energy Czar" as he was called). DeKorte chaired the NJBicentennial Commission.On
March 16 1975 , DeKorte died of cancer at his home inFranklin Lakes, New Jersey . During the time between DeKorte being diagnosed, and the time of his death he was visited by former-Governor Cahill, Governor Byrne, (via helicopter landing on nearby McBride Field, amazing neighborhood children) and many other respected members of the New Jersey political community.The funeral in the gymnasium at the Most Blessed Sacrament School in Franklin Lakes drew an enormous crowd. (Please note that although his funeral was held at Most Blessed Sacrament School he was not Roman Catholic) In addition to the state police escorting former Governor William Cahill and Governor Byrne, the Franklin Lakes Police Department was called to handle the colossal crowd.
DeKorte's widow Paulette Ramsey (She has remarried, but at the time of the funeral she was still Paulette DeKorte. She now serves on the Franklin Lakes Borough Council) received an overwhelming number of sympathy cards, flowers, and boxes full of letters from people she never even met.
After DeKorte's death in 1975, the headquarters of the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission (renamed as the
New Jersey Meadowlands Commission in 2000), which DeKorte created by sponsoring a piece of legislation, was named Richard W. DeKorte Park in his honor.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.