Charles J. Catrillo
Charles J. Catrillo | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 32nd district | |
| In office January 14, 1986 – January 12, 1988 Serving with Frank J. Gargiulo | |
| Preceded by | Paul Cuprowski Anthony P. Vainieri |
| Succeeded by | Anthony Impreveduto David C. Kronick |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 13, 1945 Jersey City, New Jersey |
| Died | February 19, 2004 (aged 58) Jersey City, New Jersey |
| Political party | Republican |
Charles J. Catrillo (August 13, 1945 – February 19, 2004) was an American Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from the 32nd Legislative District from 1986 to 1988.[1]
Born in Jersey City on August 13th, 1945, Catrillo graduated from St. Peter's Preparatory School, and went on to receive degrees from Seton Hall University and Seton Hall University School of Law. [2]
Charles Catrillo was born to Lillian Statile and Carmine Catrillo in Jersey City right before World War II ended. He was of full Italian descent, with his grandparents immigrating from the Campania and Basilicata regions in the early 1900s. Catrillo was a devout Catholic and was married to Diane Plotkin in October of 1973, and their daughter Elizabeth was born in 1977.
As the Assembly considered a bill that would allow the state to takeover school districts, Catrillo argued that the Jersey City Public Schools, which he cited as a "patronage mill" that poorly serves handicapped students, should be among the first to be taken over.[3]
He not only served in the state legislature but was also the director of water for Jersey City from 1982 until he died in 2004. He was also a judge on the Hudson County Superior Court after ten years as a lawyer and serving as an adjunct professor at Jersey City State College for nearly a decade. He is cousins with former Jersey City politician Guy Catrillo and his sister, Maryann Hammer, was assistant superintendent of the Jersey City Public Schools for a decade after serving as principal of P.S. 28.
Catrillo suffered from a massive heart attack on February 19, 2004, at his home, and was pronounced dead at the scene at the age of 57. He left behind a large Republican legacy in Hudson County, a known Democrat stronghold, and in winning the state assembly election as a member of the GOP, he proved that it could be done, winning big even in blue cities.
References
[edit]- ^ Jeffrey Hoff (1989-03-26). "A Crowded Race for Mayor In Jersey City". The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
- ^ Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, 1986, p. 273. Accessed August 4, 2019. "Charles J. Catrillo, Rep., Jersey City - Assemblyman Catrillo was born in Jersey City Aug. 13, 1945. He attended St. John's School and St. Peter's Prep. He was graduated from Seton Hall University in 1967 and from its School of Law in 1972, the year of his admission to the bar."
- ^ Sullivan, Joseph F. "Jersey's Assembly Votes to Permit State Takeovers of Weak Schools", The New York Times, March 13, 1987. Accessed August 4, 2019. "Assemblyman Charles J. Catrillo, Republican of Jersey City, said his city's $162 million school system was generally acknowledged to be the first that will be taken over. He called the system a 'patronage mill' that doles out jobs like that of 'furniture inspector' for $31,000 a year, while education programs for the handicapped are underfinanced."