William J. Dorgan Explained

William James Dorgan
State Assembly:	New Jersey
District:	13B
Alongside:	Thomas Costa
Term Start:	January 13, 1970
Term End:	September 1, 1971
Predecessor:	Austin Volk
Successor:	Byron Baer Albert Burstein
Office2:	Director of Bergen County Freeholders
Term Start2:	January 1968
Term End2:	January 1969
Predecessor2:	D. Bennett Mazur
Successor2:	Henry Hoebel
Term Start3:	1967
Term End3:	1969 and 1973 – 1974
Office4:	Mayor of Palisades Park
Term Start4:	1961
Term End4:	1964 and 1965 – 1967
Predecessor4:	Edward Browne
Successor4:	Thomas Toscano
Birth Date:	9 November 1921
Birth Place:	Cliffside Park, New Jersey
Death Place:	Deerfield Beach, Florida, U.S.
Party:	Republican

William J. Dorgan (November 9, 1921 – October 11, 2003) was an American Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly, as Mayor of Palisades Park, New Jersey, and as a member of the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Dorgan was born on November 9, 1921, in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, the son of William and Julia Dorgan. He graduated from St. Cecilia High School and attended Seton Hall University. Dorgan served in the US Coast Guard during World War II and was a Commander of VFW Post 4365.

Biography

William Dorgan served for seven years as the Mayor of Palisades Park (1961 – 1967), and for three years as a Bergen County Freeholder (1967 – 1969).^[1] He was a delegate to the 1968 Republican National Convention^[2] and a member of President Richard Nixon's Advisory Council to the General Services Administration.^[3] Dorgan was elected to the NJ General Assembly in 1969^[4] but resigned in August 1971 to accept two governor-appointed posts.^[5] Governor Cahill named Dorgan to chair the New Jersey Election Law Revision Commission.^[6] He also appointed Dorgan to a senior administrative post with the NJ Turnpike Authority.^[7] Dorgan returned to the Board of Freeholders in 1973 to fill a mid-term vacancy on the board.^[8] He ran for Freeholder again in November 1974 but was defeated.^[9] In 1976, Dorgan was appointed Executive Director of the Southeast Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority^[10] and retired from the post in 1986.^[11]

• Nixon nomination - NJ’s delegation to the 1968 Republican National Convention was expected to back its favorite son, NJ Senator Clifford Case, in the first round of balloting. As Nixon gained momentum in the first round, Dorgan was one of 18 NJ delegates urged on by Bergen County GOP Chairman Nelson Gross and State Sen. Frank S. Farley, to cast votes for Nixon instead. NJ was the only delegation to break from a favorite son candidate. The delegation became a significant force and catalyst for Nixon’s nomination occurring on the first ballot.^[12]
• Chairman, NJ Election Law Revision Commission - The New Jersey Election Law Revision Commission was a bipartisan panel established in 1964 for the purpose of overhauling the state's election laws, NJ Statutes Title 19 —last updated in 1930. The panel was ordered to provide the governor and legislature with recommendations for modernizing and simplifying laws across the 21 counties and 565 municipalities.^[13] Dorgan chaired the commission from 1971 to 1975 and delivered the final report to the governor and legislators before the 1975 session.^[14]
• Special election - In the 1964 presidential landslide (LBJ over Goldwater), Dorgan was defeated for a third term as Palisades Park Mayor by a 4-vote margin. Following a recount, he petitioned the court in a civil case, claiming more than 30 ballots should be disqualified.^[15] In a highly publicized trial, Superior Court Judge Morris Malech determined that at least 4 of the votes were cast by former residents who were not eligible to vote in Palisades Park. The court voided the election results.^[16] Dorgan's opponent lost an appeal of the trial court’s ruling.^[17] Thirteen voters were investigated^[18] and subsequently indicted by a Bergen County grand jury.^[19] In a separate action, Superior Court Judge Gordon H. Brown ordered a special election and an interim mayor was appointed. On August 3, 1965, Dorgan won the special election by a margin of 279 votes.^[20] He was sworn in as mayor again on August 16.^[21] The court’s ruling set a precedent for the state’s future treatment of challenged elections.^[22]

New Jersey Assemblyman (1970–1971)

Dorgan was elected to the NJ General Assembly in November 1969 and served on committees for Federal/State Relations and Taxation, representing East Bergen County.^[23] He resigned from the Assembly in mid-1971, accepting appointments to the NJ Turnpike Authority and the NJ Election Law Revision Commission.

• Introduced a compromise solution to fund a controversial Rutgers University program for disadvantaged students. “The Dorgan Bill” as it became known, was supported by the University, and was passed by both houses of the state legislature^[24]
• Sponsored a bill that doubled the Bergen County Park Commission debt ceiling from $5 million to $10 million. The bill was especially important for future development of Overpeck County Park and passed in both houses of the state legislature.^[25]
• Supported legislation to develop the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford^[26]
• Sponsored a bill to designate Martin Luther King's birthday as a public holiday. (Had it passed, NJ would have been the first state to honor King in this way.)^[27]

Bergen County Freeholder (1967–1969 and 1973–1974)

Dorgan was elected to a three-year term on the Bergen County Board of Freeholders in 1966. After Republicans regained the majority in November 1967, Dorgan was named Executive Director^[28] and led a bipartisan effort to reform the county charter.^[29] Ultimately the NJ Assembly failed to approve the charter changes.^[30] He returned as Freeholder, replacing June Clark who resigned from the board in November 1973. In the wake of Watergate, he lost his November 1974 bid for another term.

• Secured funding for the opening of Bergen Community College^[31]
• Phased out tuition fees for Bergen County Technical & Vocational School^[32]
• Expanded the county's parks and recreational facilities including Overpeck Golf Course,^[33] Darlington, Wallington Park, and the Campgaw Ski Area
• Created the county's "Operation Outdoors" summer program for youngsters from low-income families^[34]

Palisades Park Mayor (1961–1964 and 1965–1967)

Dorgan defeated incumbent Democrat Edward Brown in 1960^[35] and served two consecutive two-year terms. Following a voided election in November 1964, Dorgan won a special election in August 1965. In 1966, he ran a dual candidacy, winning races in both the county and municipal governments. Following an unsuccessful legal challenge by Democrats, Dorgan held freeholder and mayor posts in 1967.^[36] Dorgan resigned as mayor on January 1, 1968.^[37]

• Prioritized construction of a new borough hall complex to house municipal offices, police station, fire station, and the town’s library.^[38] (Completed in 1962)^[39]
• Proposed plans in 1962 to build the town’s new high school on the Jabel Park site.^[40] (Completed in 1968)^[41]
• Challenged the county in court in 1965 to gain back property deeded over by the town for the development of Overpeck County Park.^[42] Settled out of court in 1969, the county gave the town (1) first-preference access to the new sports complex for Palisades Park High School and (2) five acres of land adjacent to Overpeck Park for the town’s new community swimming pool.^[43]

Notes and References

1. Fitzgerald's Legislative Manual of New Jersey. Joseph Gribbons. 1971.
2. News: April 24, 1968. Widnall Heads Unpledged List of GOP Entries.
3. News: September 12, 1969. Dorgan Appointed Member of General Services Unit. Herald News (New Jersey).
4. Book: Fitzgerald's Legislative Manual of New Jersey. 1971. Joseph Gribbons.
5. News: August 29, 1971. Dorgan Quitting. The Record.
6. News: November 2, 1971. LWV Asks Sweeping Reforms To Equalize Election Laws. The Record.
7. News: September 30, 1971. Bergen County Republican Gets Key Pike Authority Post. Home News Tribune.
8. News: December 20, 1973. Dorgan Returns to the Freeholders: Resumes Job He Held from 1967 to 1969. The Record.
9. News: November 6, 1974. Democratic Stronghold in Bergen County. Herald News (New Jersey).
10. News: December 28, 1976. Former Assemblyman Will Head New Water Authority. Daily Record.
11. News: April 10, 1986. Utilities Post Goes to Gerken. Daily Record.
12. News: Comstock. Robert. August 8, 1968. NJ Was The Catalyst. The Record.
13. Web site: Legislature. New Jersey. 1964. Session Laws of New Jersey. 2020-10-21. hdl.handle.net. 63–65. 10929/54588. en-US.
14. News: March 26, 1975. Election Laws Detailed. The Record.
15. News: December 7, 1964. Courts to Decide Who is Mayor. The Record.
16. News: 1964-12-19. Election for Mayor Of Palisades Park Is Voided by Court (Published 1964). en-US. The New York Times. 2020-10-17. 0362-4331.
17. News: May 17, 1965. Mayoral-Fight Ruling Upheld. The Record.
18. News: 1964-12-18. Grand Jury Will Investigate Election in Palisades Park (Published 1964). en-US. The New York Times. 2020-10-17. 0362-4331.
19. News: May 3, 1965. 13 Indictments Reported in Palisades Park Voting. en-US. The Record.
20. News: 1965-08-04. REPUBLICAN ELECTED IN PALISADES PARK (Published 1965). en-US. The New York Times. 2020-10-16. 0362-4331.
21. News: August 16, 1965. Dorgan Is Seated As Mayor, Ending 10 Months Of Feuding. The Record.
22. Web site: In re Application of Dorgan, 44 N.J. 440 Casetext Search + Citator. 2020-10-16. casetext.com.
23. News: January 13, 1970. Vander Plaat, De Korte, Moraites Get Key Posts. The Record.
24. News: April 14, 1970. Rutgers Agrees to Fiscal Control. The Record.
25. News: June 9, 1970. Van Saun Park Building Plan Opposed. The Record.
26. News: March 26, 1971. Bergen's Bandwagon Rolling, And It Looks Stadium-Bound. The Record.
27. News: January 10, 1971. Black Republicans Want King's Birthday a Holiday. Asbury Park Press.
28. News: November 15, 1967. Dorgan Named Director Of Freeholders For '68. The Record.
29. News: April 16, 1968. Charter Proposal Is A Bipartisan Effort. The Record.
30. News: February 20, 1969. Gross Warns GOP On Charter Voting. The Record.
31. News: March 21, 1968. County Ready to Float College Funds. The Record.
32. News: February 1, 1968. Bergen Tech to Phase Out Tuition Fees. The Record.
33. News: July 25, 1968. Overpeck Golf Course Dedicated. The Record.
34. News: May 2, 1969. Bergen Will Send Poor Youngsters to Camp. The Record.
35. News: November 9, 1960. Republicans Regain Control in Palisades Park. The Record.
36. News: January 7, 1967. Freeholders Win Appeal: Hoebel, Dorgan Keep Local, County Jobs. The Record.
37. News: December 27, 1967. Dorgan Exit Due Jan 1. The Record.
38. News: October 30, 1961. Borough Hall Rising in Palisades Park. The Record.
39. News: December 28, 1962. Public Library is Finally Home. The Record.
40. News: December 14, 1962. Dorgan Has Two H.S. Plans: Jabel Park is Site for Both. The Record.
41. News: October 8, 1968. Students Happy at New School. The Record.
42. News: November 10, 1965. Dorgan To Continue Action On Parkland. The Record.
43. News: February 26, 1969. Borough Drops Suit Over Park. The Record.