Former Gov. Brendan Byrne — whose funny one-liners are New Jersey legend — turns 90 today, and it won't be a quiet birthday.
Tonight at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, Gov. Chris Christie and several of his predecessors — Tom Kean, Jim Florio, Donald DiFrancesco, James E. McGreevey, and Richard Codey — will ring in the Democrat's birthday by ribbing him good naturedly at a roast that will benefit arts education.
Celebrities Joy Behar and Joe Piscopo are also slated to attend, as are U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and state Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester).
Also today, the Center on the American Governor at Rutgers University plans to launch a new website covering past New Jersey governors. To commemorate Byrne's birthday, it will "feature its extensive collection of Byrne administration documents, historical analysis, and videos - including several of the Governor's original television campaign ads," according to a press release from the school."
Byrne, who was governor from 1974-82, became well-known for his sense of humor after leaving office. Here are some of his best quips, recorded for prosperity on the Rutgers website.
- "I want to be buried in Hudson County so that I can remain active in politics."
- "I knew I'd get re-elected when people started waving at me using all five fingers."
- "William Franklin, the illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin, was the last Royal governor of the colony of New Jersey. Some people think he was only the first of a long line of bastards to hold the office."
- "A Hudson County politician is a guy who is born poor but honest, and spends a lifetime trying to overcome those habits."
- "A few years ago, a horse named 'Hudson County' finished second in the Kentucky Derby. A veteran Hudson County political reporter explained: 'He was supposed to finish second'. "
- "There was poll that showed 96% of the people knew who I was, and 4% thought I was doing a good job."
- "You know I look out this window at the Delaware River and I figured if I walked across the water, the headlines next day would say 'Byrne Can't Swim.'"
- "One time I argued a case before the State Supreme Court at which my mentor, Chief Justice Weintraub, gave me a particularly tough grilling and the Court ruled against me. Later, when I had a chance to talk to him privately, I said: 'I don't understand. I thought I did a pretty good job and you taught me everything I know.' And he replied, 'But I didn't teach you everything that I know.'
- "I don't understand people from Somerset County. They're rich before they go into politics!"
- "If you live in New Jersey, and you're not getting something for nothing, you're not getting your fair share."
- "One of the cardinal rules of New Jersey politics is, there's no such thing as a private conversation. Somewhere along the line, you are going to be taped by someone wearing a wire. This is why so many political meetings start with a big bear hug – a New Jersey pat down among friends."
- "Remember that stuff they put in our food during World War II, to prevent us from getting excited about girls?... It's beginning to work."