Joseph Hirkala

Joseph Hirkala
Joseph Hirkala
Member of the New Jersey Senate; from the 14th district
	In office; January 11, 1972 – January 1, 1987
Member of the ; New Jersey General Assembly
	In office; 1968 – January 11, 1972
Constituency	District 14A (1968–1970) ; District 14B (1970–1972)
Personal details
Born	November 16, 1923
Died	January 1, 1987 (aged 63)
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Josephine Chorazy
Children	2
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1940-1945

Joseph Hirkala (November 16, 1923 – January 1, 1987) was an American Democratic Party politician who served in the New Jersey State Senate from 1972 until 1987.

Quick Facts Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 14th district, Member of the New Jersey General Assembly ...

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Joseph Hirkala was born on November 16, 1923, to Julia and Andrew Hirkala. He dropped out of high school as a junior in order to join the United States Navy on November 26, 1940. He conducted his training in Rhode Island and San Diego, California. He worked as a signalman and received the Philippine Liberation Medal before being discharged on December 1, 1945. He suffered a disability as a result of his service and was hospitalized for over 13 months.^[1]^[2]^[3] He married Josephine Chorazy, with whom he had two children, on February 9, 1952.^[4]^[5]

Local politics

Hirkala was elected as a Republican county committeeman from the 4th ward in 1948.^[2] He ran for commissioner in 1963 with Leonard Simon was his campaign manager,^[6] but placed seventh.^[7]

Hirkala was appointed as a clerk in the Passaic tax collector's office on April 26, 1948, and assistant city clerk on November 17, 1951.^[8]^[5] He became assistant city clerk of Clifton, New Jersey on May 2, 1960, but resigned on June 24, and returned to his post as assistant city clerk of Passaic.^[9] He also served as the Supervisor of Local Public Records and City Clerk.^[10]

Hirkala was appointed as acting registrar of vital statistics on March 2, 1965.^[11] He became acting city manager on March 3, 1971, after Paul McCauley was removed by a city council vote of 5 to 2^[12] and served for one day before Albert R. Galik was appointed.^[13]^[14]

Party politics

Hirkala supported Paul L. Troast during the 1953 gubernatorial election^[15] and Robert A. Roe in the 1969 election.^[16] He worked as Roe's campaign manager during the 1970 U.S. House election.^[17] He endorsed J. Edward Crabiel for the Democratic nomination during the 1973 gubernatorial election,^[18] but stated that he would have endorsed Roe if he ran.^[19]^[20] He endorsed Brendan Byrne after Crabiel withdrew.^[21]

Anthony J. Grossi, chair of the Passaic County Democratic Party since 1959, retired on June 7, 1972, and Hirkala was selected by acclamation to succed him on June 13.^[22]^[23] He supported removing Thomas Eagleton from the Democratic ticket during the 1972 presidential election due to allegations that Eagleton had been arrested for drunk driving in the past.^[24] Hirkala declined to seek reelection as chair in 1973, and Grossi was elected to succeed him on June 12.^[25]^[26]

Legislature

In 1967, Hirkala ran for a seat in the New Jersey General Assembly from district 14A as the Democratic nominee.^[27]^[28] Simon was his campaign manager.^[29] He defeated Republican nominee Mervyn Montgomery.^[30] For the 1969 election he was redistricted into the two-member district 14B and was elected alongside Republican nominee Joseph F. Scancarella.^[31]^[32]

Hirkala ran for one of three seats in the New Jersey Senate from the 14th district in the 1971 election.^[33] Hirkala, William J. Bate, and Joseph A. Lazzara were the Democratic nominees and all three Democratic nominees won in the general election.^[34] He was redistricted into the single-member 34th district and defeated Republican nominee Louise Friedman in the 1973 election.^[35]^[36]

During Hirkala's tenure in the general assembly he served on the Labor committee.^[37] During his tenure in the state senate he served on the State Government and Federal and Interstate Relations committee^[38] and chaired the Institutions, Health and Welfare.^[39] He was selected as assistant minority leader in 1972 after being nominated by Bate^[40] and majority whip in 1973.^[41]

He was elected State Senator in 1971, and re-elected in 1973, 1977, 1981, and 1983.^[42] He died in office. During his 26 years in the Senate, he served as Assistant Minority Leader, Majority Whip, Assistant Majority leader and President Pro Tempore.^[43]

Hirkala opposed the use of desegregation busing.^[44] He and Augustus Capers proposed an amendment to the Constitution of New Jersey to lower the voting age to 18 in 1968.^[45] He supported an amendment to the state constitution to prohibit an income tax.^[46] He supported legislation to freeze the price of tuition at state colleges.^[47] He voted in favor of restoring capital punishment in 1972.^[48]