One of the first politicians to support the legalization of gaming outside of Nevada died last week. Former New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne backed South Jersey politicians in 1974 that wanted to bring gambling to Atlantic City to revive the down-on-its-luck resort.
The referendum in 1974 allowed any community in New Jersey to legalize casinos with a local option. That vote went against legal gambling, so the wording was changed to allow casinos in Atlantic City only in 1976. It passed by a 55-45 margin.
When Resorts International opened its doors on Memorial Day 1978, Byrne showed up to cut the ribbon, warning organized crime to “keep your filthy hands off Atlantic City.”
While the regulatory scheme set up under the Byrne administration proved to be unwieldy and oppressive, it did manage to keep organized crime at bay. But the adversarial relationship between the regulators and the industry prevented Atlantic City from benefiting substantially from the casino industry.
Democrat Byrne was elected governor in 1974 and served until 1982, following a career as a hard-charging prosecutor. In addition to legalizing gaming, as governor he signed into law a state income tax for the first time, and created the state Department of Energy.
A graduate of Princeton, Byrne served in World War II in the Army Air Corps and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and other honors. He later earned his law degree at Harvard University.
