He was elected to the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 1955 and served for 12 years.
[1] As freeholder, Coffee fought to establish a park system for Mercer County.
In the Senate he was a member of the Joint Appropriations Committee and the Assistant Minority Leader.
He went on to serve 17 years as Executive Director of the General Assembly Democratic Office.
[1] On October 15, 2009, Coffee was honored by Mercer County Park, which was renamed Richard J.