Brendan Byrne Died

He was one of the good ones.

Integrity, class and the political courage to do what needed to be done

I serviced his home in West Orange for a time,  however he was renting it to a law partner and was in Trenton so I never actually got to meet the family

he used to shop at the Ashley market in South Orange.  I was in the produce department there one day, and I noticed this elderly man walking by, and he looked really familiar to me.  Then I realized it was the former governor, and he gave me a smile and nodded hello.  He probably got that all the time, people surprised to see the former governor out shopping for his own groceries.

He was a very funny man, too. I saw him speak a couple of times. He told a story about a senator who begged him not to sign a bill. Byrne said, “But Senator, you sponsored the bill!” The senator replied, “Yes, but that was before I read it.”

RIP Governor Byrne. 

a few years ago my wife and I met him at a restaurant in millburn.  he was with some family members.  we were the only patrons in the place.  on the way to the mens room he stopped and chattted with us for a good 15 minutes.   very nice guy.

oots

The days of Byrne and Kean seem so long ago. A different era. Depending on your views you could disagree with one or the other but still respect them as people. 

Gov Byrne's son lives in Maplewood as does Gov Corzine's daughter and Gov Kean's son is a realtor in town.

ska said:

The days of Byrne and Kean seem so long ago. A different era. Depending on your views you could disagree with one or the other but still respect them as people. 

Amen!

I assume he'll be interred somewhere in Hudson County, so that (as he used to say) he can remain active in politics. 

Remember Brendan Byrne Arena?

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shoshannah said:

Remember Brendan Byrne Arena?

Another line from the late Governor:  “When I got out of office, one of my first clients was Alitalia Airlines. I was convinced they thought I was Italian and my last name was Arena.”

Now that I think about it, I saw him once or twice at the old Nettie Ochs Cider Mill in Livingston, back in the 90's I think.

I grew up next door to Brenden Byrne’s brother, Dr. Francis (Frank) Byrne. Dr. Byrne had a bunch of kids – 6 boys and one girl, I think. A lot of the older boys, all at least 10 years older than me, maybe they were in their early 20’s, still lived at home and were great big brothers to us neighborhood kids. They were patient and kind, and took us on tractor rides, pushed us on the tire swing, and scared us in the “haunted house” they made  in their barn attic.

In the early 70’s one of the older boys, Christopher, got married.  The wedding and reception was held in the back yard. A whole gaggle of us neighborhood kids hung on the wood fence and peered over into the Byrne’s yard watching all the excitement.

And then a black limo pulled into the driveway, and suddenly there were state police around. We were so impressed that the governor had come to his nephew’s wedding!

Later, as it got dark, and after the governor, and his police escort, and his limo had left, we neighborhood kids were invited to come dance at the wedding party, still going strong in the back yard. I remember dancing with the groom, Christopher, whom I always thought the most handsome of the Byrne brothers.  I treasured a book of matches from that wedding for decades.

Five or six years later I learned from the front page of the Star Ledger that Christopher had died in a construction accident.  I’m not sure why I was there, but know that I was at the funeral  because I have a vivid image of his bride, who was about 8 months pregnant with their first child, dressed all in black, walking behind the coffin and down the center aisle of the church.

Such a sad image; I’ve never forgotten it.

And Brendan Byrne was there also. He was a former governor by then, and without the limo or state police.  Just there to stand with his brother’s family on one of their worse days. 

I really know nothing about what kind of governor he was, but he sure loomed large in my childhood.

drummerboy said:

Now that I think about it, I saw him once or twice at the old Nettie Ochs Cider Mill in Livingston, back in the 90's I think.

He was active and was everywhere in our local area. Many sightings in local stores and he particularly liked the movies at "The Lost Picture Show."

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

He was one of the good ones.

You got that one right.

one of my psychology professors at Seton Hall was Brendan Byrne's uncle.