On June 6, 1780, British troops, led by Hessian General Wilhelm von Knyphausen, boarded boats on Staten Island bound for Elizabeth, New Jersey.

They expected the Continental Army to give little resistance, believing that they were tired of the war and were poorly fed and paid.

[24] The Self-Master Colony was a private experiment in housing the homeless; built on the Hoyt family mansion in Union Township in 1908.

[25] The Township of Union is located on the northern edge of Union County and is bordered by eight municipalities: Hillside to the east, Elizabeth to the southeast, Roselle Park and Kenilworth to the south and Springfield Township to the west.

[1][2] Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Battle Hill, Connecticut Farms, Galloping Hill, Headlentown, Putnam Manor, Salem, Townley and Vauxhall.

[46] As of the 2000 United States census[14] of 2000, there were 54,405 people, 19,534 households, and 14,162 families residing in the township.

[6][48] At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor.

[53][54] Louis had been appointed on December 5, 2023 to fill the seat held by Michele Delisfort, who resigned on November 21 following her election as Union County commissioner.

[60][61][62] Prior to the 2010 Census, Union Township had been split between the 7th and 10th Congressional Districts with different boundaries, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.

[63] The redistricting plan that took effect in 2013 placed 31,611 residents living in the central and western portions of the township into the 7th District, while 25,031 residents in a semicircle that runs along the northern, eastern and southern borders of the township were placed into the 10th District.

[64][65] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 10th congressional district is represented by LaMonica McIver (D, Newark).

[67] For the 2024-2025 session, the 20th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Joseph Cryan (D, Union Township) and in the General Assembly by Reginald Atkins (D, Roselle) and Annette Quijano (D, Elizabeth).

[69] As of 2025[update], Union County's County Commissioners are: Rebecca Williams (D, Plainfield, 2025),[70] Joesph Bodek (D, Linden, 2026),[71] James E. Baker Jr. (D, Rahway, 2027),[72] Michele Delisfort (D, Union Township, 2026),[73] Sergio Granados (D, Elizabeth, 2025),[74] Bette Jane Kowalski (D, Cranford, 2025),[75] Vice Chair Lourdes M. Leon (D, Elizabeth, 2026),[76] Alexander Mirabella (D, Fanwood, 2027)[77] and Chair Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded (D, Westfield, 2027).

[78][79] Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are: Clerk Joanne Rajoppi (D, Union Township, 2025),[80][81] Sheriff Peter Corvelli (D, Kenilworth, 2026)[82][83] and Surrogate Christopher E. Hudak (D, Clark, 2027).

[86] Among the township's 2010 Census population, 55.0% (vs. 53.3% in Union County) were registered to vote, including 69.7% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.6% countywide).

[97] The Union Public School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.

[111][112] Union was threatened with being the first municipality north of the Mason–Dixon line to suffer from penalties as a result of school segregation.

[122] NJ Transit offers rail service at the Union train station[123] providing service on the Raritan Valley Line, formerly the mainline of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, to Newark Penn Station.

[125] NJ Transit also provides bus service to New York City and New Jersey points on the 113, 114 and 117 routes to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, on the 65, 66, 70, and 94 routes to Newark and local service on the 26 and 52.

[128] Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Union.