Cahill, William T. (William Thomas), 1912-1996

Lawyer, prosecutor, state legislator, U.S. Representative and governor of New Jersey; while in the House of Representatives, January 1959-January 1970, served a district which included all or parts of three New Jersey Counties (Camden, Gloucester and Salem for eight years and then Camden, Burlington and Ocean for three years).

From the description of William T. Cahill congressional papers, 1959-1970 (bulk 1959-1969). (Rutgers University). WorldCat record id: 145831811

• 1912: Born June 25 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the only child of William P. Cahill and Rose J. (Golden) Cahill.
• 1919: Along with his family, moves to Camden, New Jersey, where father William P. works as a Camden County park police officer.
• 1929: Graduates from Camden Catholic High School, where he played on the baseball and basketball teams.
• 1933: Graduates from St. Joseph's College in Philadelphia with an A.B. degree.
• 1933 - 1937 : Works as a teacher in the Camden public school system while attending law school at night.
• 1937: Graduates from the College of South Jersey School of Law (later Rutgers School of Law) with an L.L.B. degree.
• In October, begins working as a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, serving in Washington, D.C., Little Rock, Arkansas, and St. Louis, Missouri, until May 1938.
• 1939: Is admitted to the New Jersey bar and commences the practice of law in Camden, New Jersey.
• 1941: On February 1, marries Elizabeth Myrtetus, a secretary and former high school classmate. The Cahills eventually have eight children, Kathleen, Mary, William T., Jr., Regina, John Patrick, Patricia, Eileen and Theresa.
• 1944 - 1945 : Serves as Camden City Prosecutor.
• 1948 - 1951 : Serves as First Assistant Prosecutor for Camden County.
• 1951: Is appointed Deputy Attorney General to act as special prosecutor in Bergen County, investigating organized crime and illegal gambling operations.
• Is elected to the New Jersey General Assembly from Collingswood for a two-year term.
• 1953: Opts not to seek reelection to the General Assembly and returns to private practice full time.
• 1956: Becomes a founding partner in the law firm of Cahill and Wilinski.
• 1958: On November 4, is elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's First Congressional District, representing Camden (including Camden City), Gloucester and Salem Counties.
• 1959: On January 3, takes office as a United States Representative for the 86th Congress.
• In December, is admitted to practice law before the United States Supreme Court.
• Is appointed to the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives, where he serves on the patents, trademarks, copyrights and revision of the laws subcommittee, state taxation of interstate commerce subcommittee, immigration and naturalization subcommittee and the special subcommittee on submerged lands.
• Endorses the extension of the Civil Rights Commission.
• Supports Senator John F. Kennedy's proposal of a $1.25 minimum wage over the Republican proposed minimum wage of $1.15.
• 1960: Is reelected by the First Congressional District to the 87th Congress.
• 1961: On May 10, introduces House Joint Resolution (H.J.) 415, proposing a constitutional amendment that prohibits the denial of equal rights based on gender.
• 1962: Is reelected by the First Congressional District to the 88th Congress. During his campaign, Cahill is the only New Jersey Republican to be endorsed by the state AFL-CIO.
• 1963: On January 31, introduces H.R. 3141, known as the Civil Rights Act of 1963, which proposes making the Civil Rights Commission a permanent agency of the federal government.
• On March 12, introduces H.R. 4803, which proposes allowing for the deduction of college tuition on personal, federal income tax returns.
• On June 3, introduces H.R. 6721, known as the Equal Rights Act of 1963, prohibiting racially segregated business activities.
• 1964: On February 8, introduces H.J. 922, which proposes a constitutional amendment empowering the president to name a new vice president should the sitting vice president be removed from, step down from, or die in office.
• Is reelected by the First Congressional District to the 89th Congress. During the campaign season, withholds endorsement of Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater.
• Is named an honorary member of the board of directors of Little League, Incorporated.
• 1965: On March 3, introduces H.R. 5801, which proposes the creation of a state-appointed governor and elected legislature for the District of Columbia.
• Votes against Lyndon B. Johnson's proposed one billion dollar Appalachian Regional Development Act.
• Supports the creation of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, officially established in September.
• 1966: On April 19, introduces H.R. 14501, known as the National Veterans' Cemeteries Act, which proposes the creation of a unified system of veterans' cemeteries.
• On June 7, introduces H.R. 15521, known as the Federal Civil Rights Crimes Act of 1966.
• On June 9, introduces House Concurrent Resolution 694, supporting the creation of a permanent United Nations peacekeeping force.
• Supports the allocation of 1.75 billion dollars for the "War on Poverty."
• Is reelected to the 90th Congress by the newly reapportioned Sixth Congressional District, representing Burlington County and parts of Ocean and Camden Counties (excluding Camden City).
• 1967: Leads a House Judiciary Committee study of the automobile insurance industry.
• 1968: Opposes the allocation of 1.6 billion dollars for various river basin projects.
• Begins advocating the de-Americanization of the war in Vietnam.
• Is reelected by the Sixth Congressional District to the 91st Congress.
• 1969: On February 26, announces his intention to seek the Republican nomination for Governor of New Jersey.
• In June, defeats Representative Charles W. Sandman by roughly 13,000 votes, winning the Republican gubernatorial nomination.
• On November 4, is elected Governor of New Jersey, defeating Democratic nominee and former governor Robert B. Meyner, by winning twenty of twenty-one counties.
• While still in Congress, begins serving on the Joint Committee on Immigration and Nationality Policy. Before stepping down, also secures an official Justice Department investigation of the automotive insurance industry for anti-trust violations.
• 1970: On January 19, resigns his seat as Representative from the Sixth Congressional District, and is succeeded by Republican Edwin B. Forsythe, who was elected simultaneously to the 91st and 92nd Congresses by special election.
• On January 20, is sworn in as the 53rd Governor of New Jersey.
• In the spring, the state legislature passes Cahill's proposed two percent increase in the state sales tax.
• On June 16, signs the Medical and Dental Education Act, merging the Medical School of Rutgers, the State University, and the New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry into the separately administered College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
• On December 8, nominates (Democrat) Brendan T. Byrne, who later succeeds Cahill as Governor, for a position as Superior Court Judge for Essex County.
• Issues executive orders launching two study groups, the Governor's Management Study Commission and the New Jersey Tax Policy Committee. Later in the year, the Management Study Commission recommends centralizing the executive branch, consolidating seventeen departments into six.
• Creates New Jersey's first Department of Environmental Protection.
• 1971: In the spring, the state legislature acts on Cahill's proposal to create the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.
• In November, New Jersey voters approve a 155 million dollar educational facilities bond issue.
• Signs a migrant labor bill, establishing a minimum wage for migrant farm workers.
• 1972: On January 19, Superior Court Judge Theodore Botter hands down a ruling in the case of Robinson v. Cahill, declaring New Jersey's system of public school financing unconstitutional.
• On February 23, the New Jersey Tax Policy Committee issues its final report, recommending, among other things, a graduated state income tax.
• On July 17, the General Assembly votes down the Cahill supported income tax bill by a vote of 52 to 23.
• In the summer, Secretary of State Paul J. Sherwin, along with a GOP fundraiser, is indicted on bribery and extortion charges.
• Signs a consumer protection bill and a no-fault auto insurance bill.
• 1973: On March 22, announces candidacy for reelection as Governor of New Jersey.
• In May, additional indictments are handed down against Cahill associates, including former State Treasurer Joseph McCrane.
• On June 5, loses the Republican gubernatorial nomination to Representative Charles W. Sandman.
• In October, signs campaign finance legislation limiting campaign expenditures to $0.50 per voter, replacing New Jersey's previous campaign finance law, which had been repealed following a lawsuit by a third-party candidate in 1969.
• 1974: On January 15, steps down as Governor of New Jersey following the inauguration of Brendan T. Byrne, returning to private law practice in Collingswood, New Jersey.
• 1974 - 1978 : Serves as a senior fellow at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.
• 1978: On January 17, resigns from his post on the New Jersey Committee on Professional Health Services.
• 1996: On July 1, dies in Haddonfield, New Jersey, at the age of 84 and is subsequently interred at Calvary Cemetery in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

From the guide to the William T. Cahill Congressional Papers., 1959-1970., (Rutgers University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.)