Obituary of Joseph A. Hoffman

JOSEPH ANTHONY HOFFMAN of Pottersville, NJ, passed away peacefully at home on April 3, 2011. Born in Bronx, NY, in 1933 to Laurence Hoffman and Felice (Cavaluzzi) Hoffman, he finished high school in Roselle, NJ. He attended Seton Hall University and Seton Hall Law School, graduating first in his class from the law school in 1961 and receiving the John Kean Memorial Award for Academic Achievement. He was admitted to the bars of NY, NJ, PA and the US Supreme Court, and was named Outstanding Young Attorney of the Year by the NJ Bar Association in 1968. He was also named Outstanding Alumnus of the Year by the Seton Hall Alumni Association in 1975, and returned to the school as an Adjunct Professor of Environmental Law in the 1980s. Mr. Hoffman joined the NJ Attorney General's Office in 1962. He rose to become First Assistant Attorney General, the youngest in the state's history, and handled most of the state's major litigation in civil rights and education. Appointed Commissioner of Labor and Industry for the state in 1974, he created the Economic Development Authority and the nation's first Office of Business Advocacy. In 1977, he was a candidate for Governor, after which he returned to practicing law, joining AT&T as senior trial attorney in the federal antitrust action US v. AT&T. He went on to become VP-Assistant General Counsel for AT&T Communications, and later practiced environmental law with the firm Mudge Rose Guthrie Alexander & Ferndon, and as a partner at Hannoch Weisman. Mr. Hoffman also served on the boards of directors of Bancorp New Jersey and New Jersey Savings Bank, as Chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee of the NJ Business & Industry Association, and as a member of the Raritan Valley Community College Foundation. He was appointed Chairman of the NJ Employment Security Council by three consecutive governors, and fought to prevent unemployment insurance funds from being used for other purposes. While stationed in France as an officer in the US Army in the 1950s, he developed a great love for Europe's scenery, cultures and cuisines. In his retirement Joe and his wife traveled extensively throughout Italy, and he found great joy in his newfound talent for oil painting. He is survived by his loving wife of more than 30 years, Marguerite (Cermele) Hoffman of Pottersville, his two sons Joseph and Christopher, both of Los Angeles, California, and his sister Janet Newby of Alliston, Ontario, Canada. Visitation will be held on Thursday from 2-4 & 7-9pm at the Bailey Funeral Home, 176 Main St., Peapack, NJ, 07977. Funeral Mass Friday 10am at St. Brigid Church Peapack. Entombment Holy Cross Cemetery, Basking Ridge. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center or Hunterdon Hospice. www.baileyfuneralhomes.com