Name: Richard J. Codey
Title: Owner / Manager

Richard J. Codey, the 53rd governor of New Jersey, is a third-generation funeral director. His family owned and operated the Codey Funeral Home in Orange, where he was born, for more than 100 years.

In 2012, Codey moved the business to Caldwell, where he could be closer to the families he was serving in Essex County. A year later, in 2013, Codey completed his purchase of the Mackey Funeral Home in Boonton and renamed it the Codey & Mackey Funeral Home. That home has served Morris County residents continuously since 1914, moving to its current location at Essex Avenue and West Main Street in 1928.

The two homes, Codey said, are "a family legacy that I’m proud of.” Codey is known in the industry for being heavily involved in all aspects of operations at both homes. 

In addition to his work in the funeral business, Codey began his career in state government in 1973, when he was elected to the Assembly. He is now the longest serving member in the history of the New Jersey Legislature. 

Codey went on to become a State Senator in 1982 and while serving as Senate President in 2004 he assumed the governorship when Gov. James E. McGreevey resigned before his term expired. Today, Codey remains a State Senator. 

Throughout his career in state government, Codey has earned a reputation as an independent thinker and a champion of change to benefit the public good. He has been a steadfast advocate on behalf of the mentally ill, working tirelessly to improve treatment, care and education for those with mental illness. As Governor, Codey continued to bring the struggles of the mentally ill to the forefront of the public's attention. His first official act was to establish the Governor's Task Force on Mental Health to report to him on the direction New Jersey should take in delivering improved services to its mentally ill. Codey also was successful in implementing more than 90 percent of the task force’s recommendations, resulting in a dramatic improvement in New Jersey’s mental health system.

A longtime advocate for children, Codey sponsored the nation's first statewide assault weapons ban and the nation's first childproof handgun law. As Governor, he signed landmark legislation requiring GPS tracking for sex offenders and launched an unprecedented statewide school security audit. And he authored one of the strongest packages of laws in the nation to crack down on Internet predators. He has also been a vocal public health advocate, playing an instrumental role in providing affordable and accessible health care, creating a prescription drug assistance program for seniors, funding innovative cancer research programs, and signing the landmark Smoke Free Air Act into law.