Harold Giles Hoffman (February 7, 1896 – June 4, 1954) was an American businessman and Republican Party politician who served as the 41st Governor of New Jersey from 1935 to 1938.

Hoffman enlisted in the Third Infantry of the New Jersey National Guard on July 25, 1917, 3 months after the United States declaration of war on Germany.

[1] When Morgan Larson was elected Governor of New Jersey in 1928, he appointed Hoffman to a four-year term as the state Commissioner of Motor Vehicles.

Hoffman continued to hold his seat in Congress until it expired in 1931 and used the position to its full advantage as a platform to raise his public image and build a national reputation as a spokesman for highway safety, a relatively new issue at the time.

[1] After his term as commissioner expired in 1933, Hoffman worked to build a loyal statewide political organization by campaigning on behalf of other candidates throughout the state.

Hoffman won the primary with a majority of the vote over State Senators Emerson L. Richards and Joseph G. Wolber and judge Robert Carey.

[1] Despite his declining popularity, Hoffman still harbored ambitions for the presidency, and his associates sought to first make him the undisputed favorite of the New Jersey delegation.

However, strong sympathy for Alf Landon in the state and the continued opposition from Vanderbilt's Clean Government Group nixed his chances.

In 1940, having maneuvered himself an appointment as executive director of the state Unemployment Compensation Commission, Hoffman attempted to return to office as governor.

This time, he had the strong and open support of Frank Hague, and he lost the Republican primary to Robert C. Hendrickson, another Clean Government candidate.

[1] During the Alfred Driscoll administration, Hoffman resigned to become the first director of the state Division of Employment Security within the Department of Labor and Industry.

[1] On March 18, 1954, newly inaugurated Governor Robert B. Meyner suddenly suspended Hoffman from his role at the Division of Employment and charged him with irregular purchases.

the government released a thorough case against Hoffman, substantiated by a letter to his daughter shortly before his death revealing a long trail of corruption which lasted throughout his career.

[1] In addition to these confessions, other charges arose against the former governor and his associates, including the revelation that another state official had blackmailed Hoffman for $150,000 to keep the embezzlement hidden.