George Sebastian Silzer

George Sebastian Silzer
George Sebastian Silzer
Born	Template:Birth date; New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	October 16, 1940 (aged 70)
Occupation(s)	Lawyer, judge, politician
Years active	1892–1940
Known for	38th Governor of New Jersey (1923–1926)

George Sebastian Silzer (April 14, 1870 – October 16, 1940) was a prominent American lawyer, judge, and Democratic statesman who held the office of the 38th Governor of New Jersey from 1923 until 1926.

Early life

Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey to Christina (née Zimmerman) and Theodore C. Silzer, who owned a bar, Silzer received his education in local public schools. He pursued legal studies under the mentorship of J. Kearny Rice and was admitted to the bar in 1892. Following this, he built a thriving legal career in New Brunswick before his appointment as a state judge in 1914.

Early political and judicial career

Silzer's political journey began with his service on the New Brunswick board of aldermen between 1892 and 1896. He led the Middlesex County Democratic organization for ten years. In 1906, he was elected to the New Jersey Senate representing Middlesex and secured re-election in 1909. Known as a progressive force within the Senate, Silzer ran for governor in 1910 on an anti-establishment platform but placed third behind nominee Woodrow Wilson. Even though Democrats were in the minority, he successfully championed significant legislation during Wilson’s tenure, including a workmen's compensation statute, establishing himself as one of Wilson’s key legislative partners.

In 1912, upon Wilson’s appointment, Silzer became Middlesex County prosecutor, resigning from his Senate seat. After serving two years in this role, Governor James F. Fielder appointed him to the circuit court bench.

1922 election

After eight years as a judge, Silzer secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1922 through an arrangement negotiated by Hudson County political leader Frank Hague. This deal involved Silzer receiving the nomination in exchange for Middlesex Democrats backing outgoing Governor Edward I. Edwards’s U.S. Senate bid.

The campaign largely revolved around issues related to Prohibition. Silzer opposed stringent enforcement of the Volstead Act, asserting that it overstepped the bounds of the Eighteenth Amendment. His Republican challenger, Judge William N. Runyon, advocated for full enforcement. Silzer’s victory was interpreted as a triumph for more lenient alcohol policies and reinforced Hague’s dominance over the New Jersey Democratic Party. He carried the state by a margin smaller than his lead in Hudson County alone.

Tenure

During his governorship, Silzer advanced a progressive platform but encountered opposition within the legislature. In his inaugural speech, he condemned "special privilege" and pledged to return governance to ordinary citizens. His policy priorities included regulation of public utilities, labor protections, restrictions on the coal sector, reforms in prisons and taxation, expanded social welfare programs, environmental and narcotics regulations, federal anti-lynching legislation support, and oversight of state securities.

Distinct from many peers, Silzer maintained a degree of independence from Hague’s influence while contending with a legislature dominated by Republicans—a consequence of Democratic voter concentration in urban areas. Most of his initiatives failed to pass; however, he succeeded in imposing limits on labor involving women and children and broadened workmen's compensation coverage.

He occasionally exercised executive authority decisively—for instance, instructing the attorney general in 1923 to initiate legal action against the Public Service Corporation amid a labor conflict, which contributed to resolving the dispute.

Development projects

Silzer championed significant transportation reforms vital for accommodating a society moving beyond the automobile era and fostering industrial expansion. While he advocated for large-scale infrastructure development, he opposed the bond issues favored by both the legislature and the electorate. Among the initiatives he endorsed that reached completion were the Delaware River Port Authority, the George Washington Bridge, three bridges connecting to Staten Island, and the finalization of the Holland Tunnel as part of the Port of New York Authority.

Early during his administration, Silzer stirred controversy by dismissing the entire state highway commission amid allegations of corruption linked to corporate influence over construction contracts. He nominated a new four-member board consisting of Walter Kidde, Hugh L. Scott, Abraham Jelin, and Percy Hamilton Stewart; however, their appointments were initially rejected by the Senate. In response, Silzer appealed directly to the public, successfully gaining voter approval for his selections.

Additionally, Silzer was a proponent of state zoning regulations, viewing them as crucial tools for "scientific planning" to promote aesthetically pleasing development and to combat urban decay.

Personal life

Silzer was married to Henrietta T. Waite and was survived by their son, Parker W. Silzer.

Later life and death

In 1926, his successor A. Harry Moore appointed him chairman of the Port of New York Authority, where Silzer presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the George Washington Bridge before stepping down in 1928.

He authored The Government of a State in 1933, offering an in-depth examination of state governance.

Following his political career, Silzer concentrated on practicing law. Notably, in 1935, he defended notorious gangster Dutch Schultz against federal charges of tax evasion; Schultz was acquitted but subsequently murdered by adversaries. In 1937, Silzer became associated with the Lindbergh kidnapping investigation through his representation of Ellis Parker, a detective implicated in extracting a coerced confession from attorney Paul Wendel.

Silzer passed away from a heart attack on October 16, 1940, while en route from his Newark law office to Newark Penn Station.

External links

New Jersey Governor George Sebastian Silzer, National Governors Association