John K. Rafferty

John K. Rafferty (born May 1, 1938) is an American politician who served as the Mayor of Hamilton Township from 1976 to 1999 and in the New Jersey General Assembly from the 14th Legislative District from 1986 to 1988.[1][2]

John K. Rafferty
Mayor of Hamilton Township
In office
January 1, 1976 – December 31, 1999
Succeeded byGlen Gilmore
Member of the
New Jersey General Assembly
from the 14th Legislative District
In office
January 14, 1986 – January 12, 1988
Preceded byJoseph D. Patero
Succeeded byJoseph D. Patero
Personal details
Born (1938-05-01) May 1, 1938
Trenton, New Jersey
Political partyRepublican

Political career

In 1969, Rafferty was elected to the Hamilton Township council. He served for six terms.[3]

In 1971, Rafferty ran for the New Jersey Assembly to represent Hamilton, Trenton, and Washington Township (District 6B). He ran to fill the seat left vacant by Joseph Merlino. He and Republican running mate Peter Rossi lost the race for the multi-member district to Francis J. McManimon and incumbent S. Howard Woodson.[4][5]

In 1976, Rafferty ran in the first open election for mayor of Hamilton following the ratification of the township's new charter.[3]

In 1980, following the indictment of incumbent U.S. Representative Frank Thompson, Rafferty was approached to run for the seat, replacing lesser-known Republican nominee Chris Smith. Rafferty declined.[6] Smith won the race and remains the U.S. Representative for Hamilton as of 2021.

In 1981, Rafferty ran for Governor of New Jersey, but finished a distant seventh in the Republican primary, which was won by eventual Governor Thomas Kean.[7]

In 1985, while still serving as Mayor, Rafferty was elected to the New Jersey Assembly amid a Republican wave election. He served one term and did not run for re-election.[8]

In 1999, Rafferty retired rather than run for re-election to a seventh term as Mayor.[3]

Retirement

After retiring from office, Rafferty remained active in local politics and served as executive director of the Hamilton Partnership, a business group that promotes cooperation among its members and works with the township to attract more businesses to town.[3] He remains active in state and local politics and was elected to the New Jersey Republican Party State Committee in 2017.[9]

References
  1. "Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey on January 25, 1981 · Page 59". Newspapers.com. 1981-01-25. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  2. "Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey on May 26, 1981 · Page 56". Newspapers.com. 1981-05-26. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  3. "Despite retiring in 1999, not much has changed for Hamilton's first mayor". NJ.com. 8 Aug 2013.
  4. NJ Secretary of State. Results of the General Election 1931-72. p. 1971-76.
  5. https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=741108
  6. Early on, Smith was dismissed as a fluke, New York Observer (December 23, 2019).
  7. "Candidates for the Office of Governor - State of New Jersey" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1981. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  8. "Primary Election Results for General Assembly" (PDF). p. 5.
  9. https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Mercer/69894/Web02/#/
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