James Joseph Florio (August 29, 1937 – September 25, 2022) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 49th governor of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994.

[5] Florio received a Bachelor of Arts in social studies from Trenton State College in 1962 and started graduate studies in public law and government at Columbia University on a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship before earning a Juris Doctor from Rutgers School of Law–Camden in 1967.

[6][7] After graduating from law school, Florio volunteered to work for the Democratic Party and was mentored by past Camden Mayor Angelo Errichetti.

[10][11] In both 1969 and 1971, Florio was elected to represent the 3rd Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly, covering portions of Camden County, each time with Democratic running mate John J. Horn, whom Florio had served as a legislative aide while he was still in law school.

[15] In November 1974, Florio was elected to the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey's 1st congressional district, defeating incumbent John E.

The involvement of the Republican National Committee in the 1981 general election received significant subsequent attention, with the RNC accused of having created a Ballot Security Task Force made up of off-duty police officers to engage in voter suppression.

[28] Florio defeated Republican Jim Courter with 61% of the vote,[29] becoming the first American of Italian descent to become Governor of New Jersey.

[34] A grassroots taxpayer revolt sprouted in 1990, spearheaded by a citizens' group named "Hands Across New Jersey" founded by John Budzash, a postal worker from Howell Township.

Budzash was a frequent guest on radio and television shows throughout New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania speaking out against the new taxes.

An example of Republican strength at this time was their promise to roll back the sales tax, which was raised by one percentage point during the first two years of the Florio administration.

[41] In May 1990, Florio enacted the stiffest laws in the U.S. on owning or selling semi-automatic firearms; in 1993, he vetoed a repeal bill passed by the Republican-led legislature.

According to Time, New Jerseyans had swamped lawmakers' offices with calls supporting the ban after Florio stumped the state, appealing to voters to voice their feelings" about semi-automatic firearms.

Due in large part to the tax hikes, Florio lost his bid for re-election to Republican Somerset County freeholder Christine Todd Whitman and became the first Democratic governor since the adoption of the state's current constitution in 1947 to lose a re-election vote.

[45] In 2000, Florio ran for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate seat that was being vacated by Frank Lautenberg.

As a congressman in the late 1970s, he was instrumental in shaping the legislation that established the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve.

In a letter to the editor of The New York Times, he made a connection between the war and Bush's energy policy saying, "the nation's right to know has never been more important".

He was a founding partner and of counsel to the law firm of Florio, Perrucci, Steinhardt, Cappelli, Tipton & Taylor.

[51] Florio taught at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.

In 1984, Florio met his second wife, Lucinda Coleman, a school teacher, while both were living in the same apartment complex in Pine Hill, New Jersey.