McGreevey, James E. (James Edward), 1957-

James Edward McGreevey (born August 6, 1957) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 52nd Governor of New Jersey from 2002 until his resignation in 2004 following the revelation of his extramarital affair with a gubernatorial appointee.

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey and raised in nearby Carteret, he graduated from St. Joseph High School in Metuchen before attending The Catholic University of America, earning a B.A. degree from Columbia University, a J.D. degree from the Georgetown University Law Center, and an M.Ed. degree from Harvard University. He also attended a summer diploma program in law at the London School of Economics. After graduating, McGreevey was an assistant prosecutor and executive director of the New Jersey Parole Board and taught ethics, law and leadership at Kean University in Union, New Jersey.

McGreevey served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1990 to 1992, as the Mayor of Woodbridge Township from 1991 to 2002, and in the New Jersey Senate from 1994 to 1998. He was the Democratic nominee for Governor of New Jersey in 1997, but was narrowly defeated by Republican incumbent Christine Todd Whitman. He ran for governor again in 2001 and was elected by a large margin.

During his gubernatorial tenure, McGreevey—who was then married to his wife Dina Matos —appointed his secret lover, Israeli national Golan Cipel, as homeland security advisor despite Cipel's lack of relevant experience or qualifications. On August 12, 2004, following threats of a lawsuit that would have exposed his affair, McGreevey publicly acknowledged his homosexuality and his extramarital relationship; he also announced that he would resign the governorship effective November 15, 2004.

McGreevey published a memoir entitled The Confession in 2006. He later pursued ordination in the Episcopal Church and obtained a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree from General Theological Seminary in New York City; however, the Episcopal Church declined to ordain him. In July 2013, McGreevey was appointed head of Jersey City's Employment & Training Program (JCETP). He served in that capacity until his 2019 termination.