W. Cary Edwards

W. Cary Edwards
W. Cary Edwards
Attorney General of New Jersey
	In office; January 21, 1986 – January 19, 1989
Governor	Thomas Kean
Preceded by	Irwin I. Kimmelman
Succeeded by	Peter N. Perretti Jr.
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly; from the 40th district
	In office; January 10, 1978 – January 12, 1982
Preceded by	C. Gus Rys; John A. Spizziri
Succeeded by	Nicholas Felice
Personal details
Born	July 20, 1944; Paterson, New Jersey or Ridgewood, New Jersey
Died	October 20, 2010 (aged 66); Oakland, New Jersey
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Lynn Cozzolino (m. 1970)

William Cary Edwards (July 20, 1944 – October 20, 2010) was a New Jersey politician who served as the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1986 to 1989.

Early life

He was born on July 20, 1944, in Paterson, New Jersey^[1]^[2] or Ridgewood, New Jersey.^[3] Edwards grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey and was raised Catholic by his mother, Virginia, who had converted to Roman Catholicism. His parents separated when he was 11. He and his siblings (a brother, James and a sister, Cheryl) moved with their mother to East Paterson (now Elmwood Park, New Jersey).^[1] He graduated from St. Luke's High School in Ho-Ho-Kus, later studying business administration at Seton Hall University, where he graduated in 1967. He received his law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1970 and was admitted to the New Jersey bar the same year.^[2]

Career

Edwards married Lynn Cozzolino in 1970. In 1974 they moved to Oakland, and a year later Edwards was elected councilman there. In 1977 he was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly. He would serve three terms in the Assembly and be named assistant minority leader. Thomas Kean served as Edwards' mentor in the Assembly, and when Kean became Governor of New Jersey in 1982, he selected Edwards as his chief counsel.^[1]

Kean then named Edwards Attorney General, and he was sworn in on January 21, 1986, the day of Kean's second inauguration. As Attorney General, Edwards sought to increase the size of the Department of Law and Public Safety; initiated a new anti-drug program; instituted a task force to combat organized crime; planned a virtual overhaul of the Division of Motor Vehicles; and confronted problems such as insurance fraud and state land use planning.^[2]

The New Jersey Attorney General's office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms created a Task Force, named "Operation Iceman", to apprehend murderer Richard Kuklinski.^[4] It led to the arrest of Kuklinski who was charged with five murder counts and six weapons violations, as well as attempted murder, robbery, and attempted robbery. Edwards spoke to the media in a press conference about the case describing them as murders for profit. ″He set individuals up for business deals, they would disappear and the money would end up in his hands.″.^[5]

Edwards ran for Governor of New Jersey in 1989, losing to Jim Courter in the Republican primary. He ran again in 1993, losing out to Christine Todd Whitman, who went on to victory in the general election. In 1995, Edwards opened a law firm, Edwards & Caldwell, where he worked until 2008.^[1]

In 1997, Whitman named Edwards to the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation. In 2004, Governor Richard Codey appointed him chairman of the commission.^[6]

Death

Edwards died at his home in Oakland, New Jersey from cancer on October 20, 2010, aged 66. He was survived by his wife and their two daughters.^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d via Associated Press. "W. Cary Edwards, New Jersey Public Servant, Dies at 66" Archived 2019-04-06 at the Wayback Machine. The New York Times, April 25, 1993. Accessed August 8, 2019. "Oakland, N.J. (AP) — W. Cary Edwards, who served more than 30 years in state government, including as attorney general, died Wednesday at his home here.... Mr. Edwards was born July 20, 1944, in Paterson, N.J., and raised in Fair Lawn. After working his way through high school and Seton Hall University and its law school, he was admitted to the New Jersey bar in 1970."
^ ^a ^b ^c Official bio Archived 2020-10-20 at the Wayback Machine, Office of the Attorney General of New Jersey. Accessed March 20, 2008
^ Romano, Jay. "On the Road With Cary Edwards" Archived 2019-12-12 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, April 25, 1993. Accessed August 8, 2019. "W. Cary Edwards, 48, was born in Ridgewood and grew up in Bergen County. When he was 11 years old, his parents separated, and he moved with his mother, Virginia, and a brother and a sister to East Paterson."
^ "'The Iceman': An Undercover Agent Reflects on Taking Down Notorious Hitman Richard Kuklinski". AETV. 26 May 2020. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
^ Dolan, Julia (December 18, 1986). "Man Charged With Killing Associates, Accomplices". Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021.
^ "Codey Creates a Watchdog Agency on Waste and Fraud" Archived 2015-05-28 at the Wayback Machine. The New York Times, November 30, 2004; accessed March 20, 2008
^ ""Ex-N.J. AG Cary Edwards, probed EZ-Pass"". Archived from the original on 2010-10-24. Retrieved 2010-10-20.

External links

Appearances on C-SPAN

New Jersey General Assembly
Preceded by C. Gus Rys John A. Spizziri	Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 40th district 1978–1982 Served alongside: Walter M. D. Kern	Succeeded by Nicholas Felice
Legal offices
Preceded by Irwin I. Kimmelman	Attorney General of New Jersey 1986–1989	Succeeded by Peter N. Perretti Jr.