14 Facts About Joseph Doria

Joseph Doria is a former Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly, State Senator for the 31st Legislative District, and a former Mayor of Bayonne, a position he held from July 1998 to October 2007.

On June 9,2004, Doria was unanimously chosen by the Democratic County Committee members from the 31st Legislative District to fill the vacancy as interim Senator following the death of Jersey City Mayor and Senator Glenn Cunningham.

Joseph Doria was elected to the remainder of Cunningham's Senate term in a 2004 special election, defeating then Assemblyman Anthony Chiappone.

Joseph Doria was defeated for reelection to his Assembly seat in the June 2003 Democratic primary and left the Assembly when his term expired in January 2004.

Joseph Doria was elected to the Bayonne Board of Education in 1975, served as Board President from 1976 to 1979, and was President of the Hudson County School Boards Association from 1978 to 1979.

Joseph Doria is responsible for measures to decrease state bureaucracy, especially in the areas of environmental protection and healthcare.

Joseph Doria was the sponsor of laws giving New Jersey's public colleges and universities greater autonomy.

Joseph Doria wrote the legislation allowing new mothers to stay in the hospital 48 hours after giving birth.

Joseph Doria was the founding chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee and chaired the Assembly Education Committee.

In 2004, Joseph Doria's name was suggested as President of Ramapo College, a position that was supported by then-Acting Governor Richard Codey and his predecessor Jim McGreevey.

In March 2007, Joseph Doria announced he would not seek a second term in the State Senate.

Joseph Doria resigned his Senate seat and his mayoralty and assumed the commissionership on an acting basis on October 10,2007.

Joseph Doria was confirmed by the State Senate on November 29,2007.

Joseph Doria was cleared of all charges by the US Attorney's office in October 2011.