John J. Fay, Jr.

Who was John J. Fay, Jr.?

John James Fay, Jr. was an American schoolteacher turned Democratic Party politician who served on the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders and represented the 19th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1968 to 1974 and the New Jersey Senate from 1974 to 1978. As State Senator he was an advocate for the elderly in nursing homes and boarding houses, creating the post of Office of the Ombudsman for the Institutionalized Elderly within the New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate and serving as the first ombudsman in the post after losing a re-election bid in 1977.

Fay was born on June 8, 1927 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he graduated from St. Patrick High School. He enlisted in the United States Navy where he served as part of an Underwater Demolition Team. After completing his military service, Fay attended Seton Hall University where he majored in political history and science, and earned both a bachelor's and a master's. He taught history and economics at Linden High School for 20 years, starting in 1958.

His first elected office was on the Woodbridge Township council, where he served from 1964 to 1966.