What do you get when you cross a Rotarian-American with a chicken farmer?

Paul Stuart Aronsohn would become the eighth Rotarian-American to represent New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives, if he wins his November race with GOP incumbent Scott Garrett. He would also become the third Rotarian-American in the thirteen member New Jersey delegation, joining Hugh James Saxton and Frank LoBiondo.

The first New Jersey Rotarian American to win a House seat was Charles Wolverton, a Republican from Camden County who served as Assembly Speaker (while Walter Edge was Governor) before winning election to Congress in 1926. He spent 32 years in the House before retiring in 1958; his open seat was won by Assemblyman William Cahill, who became Governor eleven years later. In that 1969 GOP gubernatorial primary, Cahill defeated another Rotarian-American, Charles Sandman, a former Senate President who won an adjacent South Jersey House seat in 1966. Four years later, Cahill lost his bid for a second term when Sandman defeated him in the Republican primary.

One could argue Saxton and LoBiondo hold the Rotarian-American seats. Saxton holds Wolverton's old seat, while LoBiondo has the seat once held by Sandman. One of Sandman's predecessors in the second district was Elmer Wene, a Rotarian-American chicken farmer from Cumberland County. Wene was elected to Congress in 1936, but lost the seat two years later. He was elected Cumberland County Freeholder in 1939 and regained his House seat in 1940. After four more years in Congress, Wene ran for an open U.S. Senate seat; he lost to Republican Alexander Smith by a narrow 40%-49% margin. He won a State Senate seat in 1946, and lost a bid for Governor in 1949 to Republican Alfred Driscoll by a 52%-47% margin. He lost a race for Congress in 1950 and was defeated in the 1953 Democratic primary for Governor by Robert Meyner.

Gordon Canfield, a Rotarian-American Republican from Passaic County, was elected to Congress in 1940 after spending eighteen years as Secretary to his predecessor, Congressman George Segar. Canfield spent twenty years in the seat now occupied by Bill Pascrell, Jr.

The seventh Rotarian-American Congressman was Hugh Addonizio, who was a 34-year-old World War II veteran when he defeated an three-term GOP Congressman Frank Sundstrom in 1948. Addonizio left Congress in 1962 to run for Mayor of Newark; he lost his bid for re-election in 1970 to Kenneth Gibson, prior to his conviction on federal corruption charges. The Rotarian-American spent five years in prison.

Other prominent Rotarian-Americans in New Jersey politics include: William Albright, a State Senator from Gloucester County in the 1930's; Clarence Case, a former State Senate President (he represented Somerset County from 1918 to 1929) and New Jersey Supreme Court Justice, and the uncle of U.S. Senator Clifford Case; Joseph Chinnici, a Cumberland County Republican who served in the Assembly from 1972 to 1988; Joshua Haines, a Republican State Senator from Camden County from 1918 to 1920; Republican Charles Loizeaux, a former Mayor of Plainfield who was a State Senator from Union County from 1933 to 1941; and Robert Weber, a Cumberland County Republican who served in the State Assmebly from 1958 to 1960 and in the Senate from 1960 to 1966.

For Immediate Release
May 27th, 2006
Contact Parisa Sabeti
(201) 857-2819
Memorial Day Message

Paramus -- Paul Aronsohn released the following statement today:

"On Memorial Day, we honor the men and women who gave their lives – who paid the ultimate price -- in the service of our country. On every other day, we celebrate the freedom preserved and protected by their service.

'With our nation at war and with so many Americans presently in harm's way, this Memorial Day commemoration is especially significant. Regardless of one's view of the war, we must all recognize and pay tribute to the thousands of men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. They and their families deserve our respect, our gratitude, and our prayers.

As a Rotarian, I firmly believe that there is no higher calling than "service above self" . And as an American, I firmly believe that no one embodies this philosophy more than our nation's courageous service men and women."