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James Joseph Florio (born August 29, 1937) was the Democratic Governor of the U.S. state of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994, the first Italian-American to hold the position.
Florio was born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey) and received a law degree from Rutgers School of Law (1967). He served as an officer in the United States Navy from 1955 to 1958, and afterwards was a reservist until 1975 eventually achieving the rank of lieutenant commander.
After being admitted to the bar, Florio became the assistant city attorney for Camden City, a position he would hold until 1971. Florio would also be the borough solicitor for the New Jersey towns of Runnemede, Woodlynne, and Somerdale from 1969 until 1974.
In 1970, Florio was elected to the first of two terms he would serve in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1970 to 1974. In 1974, Florio was elected to the United States House of Representatives, and served from January 3, 1975 until January 16, 1990.
While in Congress, he would make three attempts to be elected Governor of New Jersey in 1977, 1981, and 1989. Florio served one four year term as Governor from January 16, 1990, to January 18, 1994 and was defeated for re-election primarily because he supported a substantial tax increase.
In 2000, he was defeated for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate by investment banker Jon Corzine, in the most expensive Senate primary in history.
Florio has an office at Rutgers University.
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