Adler, John, 1959-2011

John Herbert Adler (August 23, 1959 – April 4, 2011) was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented New Jersey's 3rd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2009 to 2011.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his family moved to Haddonfield, New Jersey when he was two years old. After graduating from Haddonfield Memorial High School, he earned B.A. and J.D. degrees from Harvard University. Returning to New Jersey, he worked as a lawyer in private practice. From 1988 until 1989, Adler served on the Cherry Hill Township Council. While serving on the council, Adler passed the township's ethics ordinance. After unsuccessfully challenging Republican Jim Saxton for his U.S. House seat, Adler was elected in 1991 to the New Jersey Senate, where he served from 1992 until his inauguration into the U.S. House of Representatives in 2009. While in the Senate, Adler served on the Judiciary Committee (as Chair) and the Environment Committee. He served on the New Jersey Israel Commission since 1995, and on the New Jersey Intergovernmental Relations Commission from 1994 to 2002. Adler was co-sponsor of the New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act, enacted in 2006, which banned smoking in almost all public places and co-sponsored legislation that strips government pensions from public employees who are convicted of or plead guilty to corruption charges.

In 2008, Adler was narrowly elected to succeed Jim Saxton for his 3rd district seat. As a Congressman, Adler was in favor of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. He voted against the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), and later voted to end the program. In January 2009, Adler announced his first bill as a U.S. Representative: the Safeguarding America's Seniors and Veterans Act, which mandated a one-time payment of $500 to persons eligible for Social Security, railroad retirement, or veterans disability benefits. According to a statement by Adler's office, the bill was necessary because "the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 fails to address the needs of our seniors and veterans". The bill attracted 11 cosponsors; it was referred to the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health, and progressed no further. Adler voted for the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Targeted by Republicans, Adler lost his 2010 bid for re-election to Republican Jon Runyan. In March 2011, Adler contracted a staph infection which resulted in endocarditis, leading to emergency heart surgery. He never recovered and died in Philadelphia on April 4, 2011. Adler was buried in Locustwood Memorial Park, Cherry Hill Township.