Chuck Haytaian, former New Jersey Assembly Speaker, dies at 86

Garabed “Chuck” Haytaian, a gregarious, perspicacious, unpretentious one-time dry cleaner from Hackettstown who wielded considerable power in state politics as the Speaker of the New Jersey State Assembly and came close to winning a seat in the United States Senate in 1994, died today.  He was 86.

Haytaian spent fourteen years as an assemblyman, representing parts of Warren, Sussex, and Hunterdon counties, and served as Republican State Chairman from 1995 to 2001. A conservative, he became a key ally to the state’s moderate two-term governor, Christine Todd Whitman.

He challenged two-term U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg in 1994 and lost by 67,243 votes, 50%-47%. That election occurred during Bill Clinton’s first mid-term election when Republicans captured majorities in the Senate and House.

“Chuck grew from the Bronx-born child of Armenian Genocide survivors to a household name across the Garden State,” said Gov. Phil Murphy.

Assembly Minority Leader John DiMario, a longtime friend, recalled Haytaian serving as a mentor in high school in the early 1970s.

“From the start, Chuck’s passion for serving the public and his commitment to integrity left a lasting impact on me,” DiMaio said. “He helped guide me when I was just starting out and he never gave up on challenging me to push forward.”

A proud Armenian American, Haytaian became active as the president of his local Kiwanis Club and was elected to the Mansfield school board.

In 1974, Haytaian lost a bid for Warren County Freeholder by about 700 votes, 52%-48%, after Democrat Benjamin Bosco rode the Democratic Watergate wave to victory. He ran again in 1975 and defeated Democrat Christopher Maier by roughly 40 votes.

Citing a low salary and a lot of hours, Bosco resigned after thirteen months in office and at a time when governors filled freeholder vacancies with the advise and consent of the Senate, Gov Brendan Byrne nominated Maier to fill the seat. Haytaian went to State Sen. Wayne Dumont (R-Phillipsburg) and asked him to use senatorial courtesy to block the nomination. Dumont refused, setting up a grudge between the two that lasted until Dumont died in 1992.

In 1978, Haytaian mulled a challenge to two-term Rep. Helen Meyner (D-Phillipsburg), the former First Lady of New Jersey, in a strongly Republican district. Instead, he chose to seek re-election to the freeholder board and backed the eventual winner: James Courter, a former First Assistant Warren County Prosecutor.

In his re-election bid, Haytaian smoked Michael Perrucci, 62%-37%.  Perrucci later became Democratic county chairman and a partner at a powerful New Jersey law firm – and a friend of Haytaian.

As the lone Republican on the three-member Warren County Board of Freeholders, Haytaian became freeholder director because the two Democrats, Ray Stem and Maier, didn’t speak to each other.

After Warren County Clerk Harry Snyder died in late 1978, Haytaian said he was not interested in the job.

Instead, Haytaian focused on Trenton.

Three-term Assemblyman Donald Albanese (R-Belvidere) was giving up his seat to run for governor – he eventually dropped out and unsuccessfully challenged Dumont in the Senate primary – and Haytaian decided he wanted to run for Assembly.

He teamed up with veteran Assemblyman Robert Littell (R-Franklin). They faced Sparta Mayor Mark Memoly and Louis Naleboff, who worked for Warren County as a microfilm operator, in the Republican primary.  Haytaian won by a 2-1 margin. In the general election, Littell and Haytaian easily defeated Democrats Joseph Daly and David Bogert by a margin of more than 2-1.

Haytaian immediately became popular and influential among his GOP colleagues.

In January 1984, Haytaian was part of a coup among Republican assemblymembers that ousted four members of the leadership team – Marie Muhler (R-Marlboro), Anthony Villane (R-Eatontown), Karl Weidel (R-Pennington), and Joseph Chinnici (R-Bridgeton) – in a contest where five of the eight leadership elections necessitated runoffs. The move weakened Assembly Minority Leader Dean Gallo (R-Parsippany), who was elected to Congress later that year; that set up the ascent of Assistant Minority Leader Chuck Hardwick (R-Westfield) as minority leader in 1985, and led to Haytaian’s election as assistant minority leader in 1985.

After Republicans, boosted by Gov. Tom Kean’s 70% re-election landslide, picked up fourteen Assembly seats and took the majority for the first time in twelve years. Hardwick became the speaker, and Haytaian was the majority leader.

Haytaian faced a significant GOP primary challenge in 1989 from former Sussex County Prosecutor George Daggett, the cousin of longshoremen’s union leader Harold Daggett, and Wallace Wirths, a radio commentator and philanthropist whose son, Hal Wirths, later served as an assemblyman. Littell (11,925) and Haytaian (11,588) defeated Wirths (7,770) and Daggett (5,541).

Democrats flipped the Assembly in 1989, and Haytaian became the minority leader.  After Gov. Jim Florio’s $1.8 tax increase led to a grassroots revolt that helped Republicans capture 21 Assembly seats and return to the majority with Haytaian as speaker.

After redistricting in 1991, Haytaian became a running mate of  Assemblyman Leonard Lance (R-Clinton Township), a future congressman.

Less than a week after Whitman ousted Florio in the 1993 gubernatorial election, Haytaian launched his bid to challenge Lautenberg.

Potential primary rivals, including Reps. Dick Zimmer (R-Delaware), Marge Roukema (R-Ridgewood), and State Sen. Bill Gormley (R-Margate) opted not to run; Haytaian defeated former State Sen. Brian Kennedy (R-Sea Girt) in the GOP primary, 67%-33%.

Haytaian accused Lautenberg of losing touch with New Jersey – in a debate, he asked the senator to name the 21 counties – said he was soft on crime, opposed federal spending cuts, and blasted him for refusing to release his income tax returns. Lautenberg called Haytaian a career politician.

Sometime in the early campaign, Haytaian got a meeting with Charles Lazarus, the Toys R Us founder who passed away yesterday at age 94. Lazarus was a Democrat, but his company was based in New Jersey where Republicans controlled just about everything. Haytaian wanted Lazarus to help him raise money.

Haytaian arrived in Paramus, where Toys R Us – coming off a 10% increase in sales and with 835 thriving retail stores worldwide – had its corporate headquarters. He was running a little early, so he stopped at one of the shopping malls and came across a low-end men’s store – I think it was Rogers – that was going out of business and had heavily discounted their already cheap suits.

After shopping, Haytaian arrives at Toys R Us and is ushered into the billionaire Lazarus’ office, where the first thing he said was something like: “Charlie, you’ve got to get down to the mall. I just bought four suits for $250, but they don’t have a lot left. You need to go there right away.”

After losing the Senate race, Haytaian declined to seek re-election to the Assembly in 1995 and instead became Republican State Chairman, a post he held until 2001.

He sought a political comeback in 2003 as a candidate for State Assembly, but finished third in the Republican primary behind incumbents Michale Doherty (11,495) and Connie Myers (10,830). Haytaian received 5,289 votes.

“Speaker Haytaian was a dedicated public servant and ardent fighter for those who suffered during the Armenian Genocide,” said Bucco. “Chuck was a good man and close family friend who left a lasting mark on Garden State politics for the better. It’s a sad day for New Jersey—my deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.”

A visitation will be held on Saturday, November 9, from 12-3 PM at the Warren County Community College, immediately followed by a celebration of Haytaian’s life. In lieu of flowers, the Haytaian family is asking that contributions be made to the Chuck Haytaian Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o WCCC Foundation, 475 Route 57W, Washington, NJ 07882.