Former U.S. Rep. John Adler had a knack for beating the odds. As a young adult living on Social Security, he scrambled enough money for Harvard through jobs, student loans and scholarships. When he ran for State Senate in 1991, he was the only Democrat to beat an incumbent Republican in either house of the Legislature as the GOP...
Former U.S. Rep. John Alder checks his Blackberry while walking out of his office to go to the Capitol to vote on bills in this 2009 file photo.Former U.S. Rep. John Adler had a knack for beating the odds.
As a young adult living on Social Security, he scrambled enough money for Harvard through jobs, student loans and scholarships. When he ran for State Senate in 1991, he was the only Democrat to beat an incumbent Republican in either house of the Legislature as the GOP staged a landslide victory. Seventeen years later, he became the first Democrat to represent a conservative South Jersey congressional district in a century.
Adler, a lawmaker respected by both Republicans and Democrats and a longtime chairman of the powerful state Senate Judiciary Committee, died today of complications stemming from a bacterial staph endocarditis infection, his family said.
Adler, who was 51, had fought the infection for three weeks after emergency heart surgery last month.
Adler’s death was announced this afternoon by State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) at the end of a Senate Budget Committee hearing. There was an audible gasp in the audience, and Sarlo called for a moment of silence.
Lawmakers today said Adler’s legacy as a lawmaker is marked by a tireless commitment to service and an ability to treat colleagues on both sides of the aisle with respect.
"John Adler was a brilliant policy maker and a great friend," said State Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex). "I missed his wonderful sense of humor when he left for Washington, and will miss it even more now."
Born in Philadelphia, Adler grew up in Haddonfield and talked about his childhood often. His father owned a dry cleaning store, and suffered a series of heart attacks when Adler was in high school. Medical bills left the family unable to keep the store, and when his father died, Adler and his mother lived on Social Security benefits.
Adler was accepted to Harvard, where he earned both his bachelor’s and law degrees. He served on the Cherry Hill township council before being elected to the State Senate.
In 2008, at the end of his state senate career, Adler said he was most proud of cosponsoring the state’s ban on indoor smoking — and his chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee.
"I took that role very, very seriously, and that was sometimes to the frustration of governors, but I think it was the right assertion of checks and balances," he said at the time.
In his one term in the House, Adler was one of the few Democrats who opposed President Obama’s health care plan. He lost his bid for re-election last November to former Philadelphia Eagle Jon Runyan in a tightly-contested race. He just recently joined the law firm of Greenberg Traurig.
Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. (R-Union) called Adler "passionate, energetic and dedicated."
"He was a friend to all of us in the Senate and a living reminder that it is possible to disagree with one another without being disagreeable," Kean said.
U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th District) said he knew Adler for many years, and their wives and children are friends.
"He made a permanent mark as a selfless and generous friend and family man," Pallone said.
Adler is survived by his wife, Shelley, and sons Jeffrey, Alex, Andrew and Oliver. His family requested contributions be made to Cooper University Hospital or the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Final arrangements are pending.
Matt Friedman contributed to this report.