Wesley Lance
Wesley Leonard Lance (November 21, 1908 – August 25, 2007)[1] was an American Republican Party politician, who served as a member of both the New Jersey General Assembly and the New Jersey Senate.
Life and career
Lance was born and raised in Glen Gardner, New Jersey, the son of Florence S. (née Smith) and Leonard Arville Lance.[2] He attended Lafayette College and Harvard Law School. He was first elected to the Assembly in 1937, and to the Senate in 1941. Lance was a delegate to the 1947 constitutional convention that established the current New Jersey State Constitution, and to the 1966 convention that established the current New Jersey Legislature with 40 senators and 80 assemblymembers.[3] He served in the Senate from 1942 to 1943, succeeding Arthur F. Foran, and stepped down to enter the United States Navy. He was reelected to the Senate in 1954 and served until 1962.[4] He was Senate President during the 1959 term.[5]
Lance was a practicing lawyer for 70 years, including 64 years as the municipal attorney of Lebanon Township, New Jersey. One of his sons, Leonard Lance, served in the Assembly from 1992 to 2002, in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2009, and in the House of Representatives beginning in 2009.[6] James Lance, Leonard's twin brother, is an attorney practicing in Clinton, New Jersey.
Wesley Lance died at age 98, Clinton, New Jersey. His memorial service was held on August 30, 2007 at the Spruce Run Evangelical Lutheran Zion Church. His children were raised in their mother's Roman Catholic faith.
References
- ↑ Social Security Death Index via Ancestry.com.
- ↑ http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/reps/lance.htm
- ↑ Hester Jr., Tom. "Wesley Lance, 98; in '47 helped craft N.J. Constitution", The Record (Bergen County), August 28, 2007. Accessed August 28, 2007.
- ↑ Fitzgerald's Legislative Manual: State of New Jersey (2007), Skinder-Strauss Associates, Newark, New Jersey, ISBN 1-57741-245-1.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Jackson, Herb. "Politics, a family business", The Record (Bergen County), February 3, 2003. Accessed July 6, 2007. "Sen. Leonard Lance, R-Hunterdon, is the son and great-nephew of legislators."
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of the New Jersey Senate 1959 |
Succeeded by George B. Harper |
- 1908 births
- 2007 deaths
- American Lutherans
- Lafayette College alumni
- Harvard Law School alumni
- Members of the New Jersey General Assembly
- New Jersey lawyers
- New Jersey State Senators
- People from Glen Gardner, New Jersey
- Presidents of the New Jersey Senate
- New Jersey Republicans
- 20th-century American politicians
