Richard Coffee, former Senator and Democratic State Chairman from Mercer: 1925-2017
Richard J. “Dick” Coffee, a former Democratic State Party chairman and former state senator from Mercer County, has died, InsiderNJ learned today.
He was 90.
Born in 1925, Mr. Coffee of Lawrence Twp. was first elected to the state senate in 1967. He served as chairman of the Mercer County Democratic Party from 1969 to 1981 and as state chairman from 1977 to 1981.
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boy, for “insiders,” very little, none in fact, discussion of whether Dick ran a political machine of the type NJ was famous, or infamous for. He did a lot of good with parks and MCCC, but the question should be answered how his exercise of power related to other authoritarian regimes in NJ.
I’m open minded, so if you know of good research on this, someone’s dissertation or even a locally published book, let me know. wrn1935@comcast.net thanks…
been working on the powers of Mike Miller in Maryland for 30 years. In some ways resembles Hap Farley of the Republican machine in Atlantic City and his power in the NJ legislature; equal to governors…