Kenneth Cromwell Hand (May 6, 1899 – April 9, 1988) was an American Republican Party politician and judge who served in the New Jersey State Senate.
[1] In 1930, Hand led a revolt among legislators frustrated that party leadership were not advancing their bills for votes on the floor.
[1] Following the death of U.S. Rep. Ernest Robinson Ackerman in 1931, Hand became a candidate for the Republican nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives.
[4] The Special Primary was held on November 17, 1931, allowing Hand to successfully seek a fourth term as Assemblyman a few weeks earlier.
In 1932, U.S. Rep. Percy Hamilton Stewart (D-Plainfield), a "Dripping Wet" candidate, gave up his seat one year after narrowly defeating McLean in the December Special Election, to run for the United States Senate.
In that primary, former New Jersey Turnpike Authority Chairman Paul L. Troast defeated State Senator Malcolm Forbes by a 52%-39% margin.
[7] Hand resigned from the Senate in 1956 when Governor Robert B. Meyner appointed him to serve as a New Jersey Superior Court Judge.